A Strange New Deja Vu
by coldqueen
Summary: CompleteThe dire situation of the future inspires the Titans to call the Teen Titans for aid. Let's watch as secrets and madness ensues. BBRa SRo SpRa
1. Chapter One

A/N: I never feel right unless I've got at least three active stories, so I've upped my deadline on this one, and I'm going to start uploading it now. I hope we all enjoy.

* * *

**Title:** Has Anybody Seen My Baby?

**Summary:** Yes, a Rolling Stones title, but it doesn't mean anything. Just the song I was listening to at the time. This story is AU, in that it's set a few years after the finale, and is generally based on the incident in the comic books, a plot called "The Future Is Now"...except I'm evil, and I'm twisting this into a being of my own CREATION.

**Couples:** _Beaven_ (ROFL), and _Starobin_ (ROFLMAO)...yes, I made those up.

* * *

Most of the people on Earth are oblivious to one of the key elements of the universe...time. To Raven, time was as tangible as the ground beneath her feet and as foreseeable as the sun at dawn. It wasn't a mystery to her, it was a puzzle. She knew what it was, what it could be, and when it would be, but she didn't know the big picture. She'd spent much of her childhood with time hovering over her, counting down to some big event, and when said event came, it surprised her. Time passed so quickly, and things change so much, yet it's so unexpected when you look around and realize.

Two years after she defeated her father and freed herself from his influence, for at least a while, Raven had a sense of déjà vu overtake her. She woke as usual, and dressed for breakfast. So early in the morning, having just been dawn, she was the only person awake. She made some tea, as usual, and sat down near the wall of windows overlooking San Francisco Bay. It was all so normal, so routine, but something was nagging at her, weighing her mind down. Such peace in the building, yet her mind tore at her with worry.

Raven turned and looked around, almost sure that she'd just felt a presence behind her. Nothing and no one was about, just shadows and memories. Raven started to turn back to the view, when out of the corner of her eye she caught a fleeting glimpse of someone running through the room. She froze, and didn't move. The figure running was almost shadow, but not quite. Details fuzzy and transparent, almost ghost-like, but not. Raven turned her senses outward and knew immediately that no one was there, but what was this image that even now played on the edges of her sight?

She set her tea down, and prepared to turn and fully stare at the apparition, when a bright green blur walked through it, and effectively caused it to disappear. A muffled moan of irritation wasn't heard, or rather was ignored, by the green blur, who actually was Beast Boy. He smiled at Raven, who, satisfied that the 'ghost' wasn't coming back, had turned back to her view and her thoughts.

Beast Boy, Garfield Logan, Gar for short, had never truly been the same since Terra had disappeared. Not when she was a stone statue, understand, but when he'd went looking for her and couldn't find her. Neither stone or hair. Even the Titans had been confused as to where she'd went. Gar, by far the most attached to her, had taken it hard. In subsequent months, he'd stayed with the Titans, but it was like his heart wasn't in it anymore.

Raven didn't blame him for his feelings, having long felt the urge to get out and be alone. To grow into someone else, without the Titans there to define her. She doubted she'd ever actually do it, being a Titan was so much integral to her. It was all she'd ever known. Beast Boy, on the other hand, could be many things, and had been. Titan was just among the list.

Gar continued to smile at her, keeping silent lest she throw something at him like she had several days ago when he'd interrupted her morning meditation with a rousing rendition of "Livin' La Vida Loca". He didn't really know why he'd wanted to irritate her so much, just knew that he enjoyed it when she glared at him and threatened him. She was so much prettier, and human-looking, when she was angry. Not that he could really talk about human-looking. How many humans do you know who are green? Everywhere. Yes. Everywhere.

He started a pot of coffee, idly washing out the kettle she'd used for her tea. He also started some oatmeal for breakfast, a copious amount given how much he and Cyborg alone would eat of it. Raven wouldn't eat any, though. Gar doubted that he'd seen her eat a dozen times in the long time he'd known her. Her lack of appetite was probably why she was always so small and frail looking. He'd only noticed just how petite she was when he himself had experienced a growth spurt (if one could call growing a foot a "spurt"). Sometimes he found himself wanting to feed her, if only to see her a bit healthier looking. It wasn't anything a good teammate wouldn't want to do, though.

"Something is going to happen."

Gar turned when Raven spoke from where she'd gone to stand near the window, slowly caressing the glass with her small fingers. "What?"

"Something is going to happen today."

"What do you mean?" He asked, wiping his hands on a clean dish towel nearby and wandering over.

"I can feel it. On the edge of my senses. Something is waiting."

"Like what?"

"Time."

"Time?"

"I saw a ghost just now."

"A ghost?"

Raven smiled, but her eyes were far away, staring into dimensions of thought he could never even hope to grasp. Gar settled for leaning on the window and taking her hand as it smooth over a non-existent ripple in the glass. "A ghost?" He repeated.

"I think it was a ghost," she answered, looking him in the eyes. None of the other Titans could make him feel this way with just a look. Like he was better than he was, like he could do things he couldn't even begin to imagine. "It moved, ran through the room, but when I looked at it, it wasn't there."

Gar raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yeah?"

Raven yanked her hand from his. "You don't need to mock me."

He continued to smile. "I didn't."

She seethed. "You did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Did!" Before he could reply again, she lightly tapped him on the chest. "See to your oatmeal. I'll figure this out on my own." She started to storm away, and he watched with some amusement as she did so.

"Okay, but if this strange invisible person shows up again, let's hope you're not in the shower!" He called behind her (though the thought of Raven in the shower was intriguing).

Gar shook his head, and turned back to his rapidly burning oatmeal, not giving another thought to the strange sayings of the strange Raven.


	2. Chapter Two

A new chapter, to further wet your appetites for my most wonderful story...

And...to my _Kirby_...cause oatmeals sucks, that's WHY! And to others...hmmm...answers? From me? Never...MORE MYSTERY! evil cackle

* * *

**2011

* * *

**

"I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, you've already cast your vote. It's not up to you."

The duo glared at each over the small table, and settled back against their respective couches. Nightwing had made his feelings quite clear on this matter. At the same time, so did Raven. She thought they'd need the help, he always thought they could handle things on their own. In this case, Nightwing was wrong.

Raven smiled, as Cyborg made it clear with a single head gesture what side he was taking. "Thank you for listening to reason, Victor." She turned to glare at Nightwing. "I'll start looking for the right moment to contact them."

Starfire took a seat beside Nightwing, patting his hand, but asking, "Why do we need them? Couldn't we find someone else to assist us?" Starfire had thankfully gotten a grasp on the English language sometime in the past five years, a fact that Raven was thankful for.

Raven nodded and explained. "Who else would believe us? This is so ridiculous; I myself sometimes have problems believing it. With the Teen Titans, we can convince them faster, and get our time back on track."

Cyborg smiled. "Are you implying that we're gullible?"

"Need I bring up Terra? Or Wonder Girl, for that matter?" Raven replied acidly. Behind her, Speedy sat on the edge of the sofa, sometimes playing with a strand of Raven's dark hair.

"I can't really talk, being only a replacement Titan myself, but back then, y'all seemed pretty kick ass," Arsenal stated with a grin.

Nightwing laughed. "I certainly used to kick your ass."

Speedy growled. "Anytime, Dick. Anytime."

Dick, alias Nightwing, stood and held out his arms confrontingly. "Let's go, Boy-Roy."

As the two men jumped at each other and tussled on the floor, the others continued their conversation. Anything to take their minds off the current problems, and the others didn't brgrudge them that, but did continue the conversation without them.

"It's easier than most humans think to time-travel. This won't be an exceedingly difficult undertaking for me," Raven added.

Starfire still shook her head in confusion (ignoring that her boyfriend was straddling another man, even if he was beating the shit out of him). "Why can we not find someone to assist us here? In our time?"

Cyborg explained. "We're persona non grata. The Justice League, the Doom Patrol, hell, even the Birds of Prey won't return our calls. They still don't believe that we were saving the world when we killed Superboy. It makes us rogue. Even if we could prove our claims, they wouldn't believe us."

Raven snorted. "They're blind. Connor was Luthor's son, and was going to kill Nightwing over there."

Starfire nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't have hit him so many times?"

Raven laughed. "I'd have killed him if you hadn't."

Nightwing and Speedy finally stopped fighting, though most likelythe trucewouldn't last long. The two men had been teammates for almost six years, and were so alike in some ways that it was scary. Ironically, the two of them, though friends, were often so competitive and naturally anti-each-other that they often seem adversarial. Villians who'd tried to exploit that element of their relationship had never truly succeeded though.

Raven often thought that if you painted Speedy black and take away his arrows,you'd haveNightwing. Trade Nightwing's batarangs for arrows and make him smile and you had Speedy. It often made the situation between Speedy, Nightwing, Starfire, and Raven quite comical, or at least it seemed to the girls, who were in on the joke.

Nightwing was bleeding from his lip just a bit, but Speedy had a nose bleed that was rapidly ruining his green t-shirt. He sat down next to Raven, looking for sympathy (and in the totally wrong place). She smiled and tilted his head to the side, looking at the damage. She smiled evilly and patted/smacked his cheek. "Get over it."

Speedy pouted. "You're mean."

"You love it."

Nightwing held up a hand. "Do not start making out. That's creepy. Now, since apparently, against my objections, we're doing this, how are we going about it?"

Raven stopped trading slaps with Speedy, and got serious again. "I could do it myself, but Zatanna is likely to sense what I was doing and stop it." Raven didn't like the Justice League's pet sorceress, but she knew she could work around her. "We could get the Flash to do it."

Starfire scrunched her forehead prettily as she was confused, again. "How?"

"With that treadmill of time thing. He runs as fast as he can, and opens a time portal," Speedy explained this time, surprising the others as he always did when he seemed to know things they didn't think he did.

"How did you know about that? He only built it like last week," Cyborg asked.

"Flash? Totally knows my hero, Green Arrow. Told him, I eavesdropped, boom, bam, BANG! I know."

Raven shook her head, and turned back to the others. "Flash is still on the outs with the Justice League. He might listen to us."

Cyborg nodded. "Okay. Nightwing, you and Kory here," Cyborg nodded to the two of them, Nightwing and Starfire, "you two go to Flash. Tell him the situation. See if he wants to help." Nightwing and Starfire nodded, and stood to leave, as Cyborg turned to Speedy and Raven. "You two go see Dr. Fate. If Flash can't or doesn't want to help us, we're gonna need someone to run interference while Raven does the magic mojo."

Raven and Speedy nodded, taking each other's hands as they stood and left. Cyborg watched his teammates leave, before turning to the Hall of Fallen Titans. There were statues for the many Titans who'd left or died during service to Titan Tower; it was one of Victor's favorite places in the newly renovated Tower. Just inside the door was a statue of Wonder Girl, Donna Troia. Donna had come to Titans Tower, unsure of where to turn, suddenly gifted by the "gods". The Titans had trained her, worked with her, befriended her, only to find out that she'd been a spy for Ares all along. Using the name Ares' Champion, she'd started to systematically destroy all the relics of Ancient Greece he'd told her to. Ares, who could only appear as an illusion, and thus was unable to teach Donna, had used the Titans to train her in her new powers, then had her callously abandon them in the middle of battle. Cyborg had attempted to detain her for punishment of the destruction of whole museums. To escape, she'd thrown herself into the giant pyre one such museum had become under her ministrations. Cy had never truly found out what was going on there, but he had a feeling that nothing was truly over.

Directly adjacent to Donna's statue, was a statue of Aqualad. His was the most recent addition, or rather, the most recent death. There was a small plaque underneath the statue. _Aqualad, casualty of the MetaWar, protector of the sea, friend to all Titans_. He had been, all of the above. A three-month civil war in the United States broke out of the registration of all Metahumans, people born with gifts not normal. It'd been crazy all over the states for those three months, but perhaps craziest in Gotham City. It's been all out warfare there, gangs of Metas roaming and killing. Nightwing had called Aqualad for assistance in the county of Gotham, Bludhaven. Unbeknownst to either of them, protestors had dumped toxic waste into the river between the city and island. As far as the Titans knew, it'd killed Aqualad, but the most they'd found of him was video footage of him floundering halfway between Gotham and Bludhaven, before sinking under. Cyborg knew that Nightwing felt tremendously guilty over the incident, but knew of no words to aid his longtime friend.

The room was large, but not really filled up, something Cyborg was appreciative of. There were several more statues, of sometimes members who'd sacrificed themselves, of new members who in their naiveté trusted the wrong person, or did the wrong thing. Flamebird, Spoiler, Hawk, Dove, even Bumblebee, but none of them evoked the kind of melancholy and sadness that the last statue did. Cyborg had hopes that one day; this statue would be taken down.

He stepped to it now, running his hand down the small plaque. _Beast Boy, one of the five Founders, thrice-saver of the world, traitor.

* * *

_

Told y'all I was gonna mess with the universe.


	3. Chapter Three

I know some of us are confused as to what's going down, and who's doing what...but I assure you...it will all make sense soon. promises, promises

Now, to make it clear...this chapter will switch back and forth between 2006, with our present Titans, and 2011, with the freaky older Titans...I shall try to make the transition as clear as possible. Thank you.

* * *

**2006

* * *

**

The morning went about as well as it could. There was little to do but train and goof off, since just last week the Titans had gone through the city cleaning up and taking out the trash, figuratively, not literally. There were no real big bads for the Titans to take down as of late, only the smaller crimelords and psychos par for the course of a Hero-patrolled city. Most villains didn't like small towns, and kept to the cities, and almost all the major cities had Heroes. It seemed though, that Hero cities had more crimes and villains perpetuating them than a city without a hero. Cyborg supposed that the villains naturally were inclined to have an enemy around to conflict with weekly. For them, it'd used to be Slade. However, Slade had disappeared a long time ago, and so far, hadn't returned.

After a brief training simulation involving Raven going crazy and trying to kill them (something that would totally never happen), one that ended with Beast Boy tackling her mid-air, and them tumbling down and into the water (with Raven rising and smacking the shit out of him, as usual), the team decided some hang-out time was in order. Raven wanted to beg off, but the needling of both Gar and Kory prevented even that small pleasure for her. Resigned to her fate, Raven traded her uniform for lounging clothes, and joined them in the living room.

They'd only begun arguing about what to have on the pizza when a strong urge came over Raven. It wasn't really an urge, it was more an instinct. Maybe a vision? Whatever it was, it came on her suddenly and without warning, causing her to drop the cup of tea she held and lean back into the couch, raising her hands to her head as if in pain, but it wasn't really pain either. It was...awareness.

Awareness stretching in all directions, her senses flying out without guide and touching everything and everyone. Something was calling to her senses, or rather, stripping away her control. Beside her, Gar turned and saw her distress, reaching out and touching her hands before she could tell him not to. With a silent gasp, she started to leech his emotions, pulling them into her, rolling them around in her head, before spitting them back out again amplified. Lust, anger, grief, and malcontent, all inside her and thrown back to him, worse than before.

Raven gasped again, and let consciousness slide away, not knowing what else to do.

* * *

**2011

* * *

**

Raven opened her eyes to stare at her teammates, and behind them, Flash slowed on what appeared to be a treadmill, panting as if tired, even though truthfully it wasn't as much of a taxation on him as it appeared to be. He just wanted some attention. Not really unusual for him, though the attention-loving Flash had been in rare appearance lately.

She smiled, and was actually tired, but didn't let it show. "It's done. She's unconscious and won't be able to fight."

Arsenal stepped up to the couch, stooping down to look into her eyes. She'd started off hovering in mid-air, almost meditating, but as soon as the small rip in the timeline had formed, thanks to Flash's invention, she'd sent all her power and mental abilities into it, shaping it like a needle so as not to alert anyone, and slowly sent her own self into a long sleep. Raven knew herself and her powers, and knew that her younger self would have interfered with the transportation through time. It was a principle the monks had always taught her on Azarath. Time wasn't to be tampered with. It only caused problems. There were many things that she'd discarded that the monks had taught her, and this would join the list.

Roy looked into her eyes. "You're tired." It wasn't a question so she didn't answer. It always surprised her that Roy could read her so easily. She hadn't embraced her emotions readily, and the old habit to suppress and hide things was still prevalent. Teammates she'd worked with for seven years couldn't read her, but her lover of two years could. It was a strange thing, this love that was so new to her.

Raven nodded. "It was difficult. I was still very closed then, no emotions to ease the shields or to use against me."

Arsenal smiled. "Emotions made you stronger too."

"One of the few things they have going for them," she replied as she smiled back. Arsenal passed his hand down her hair, before lifting her into his arms.

"She needs rest," he proclaimed, to the smirks of their teammates.

Cyborg grinned the widest. "Well, if you're going to rest, don't take longer than an hour, cause we're about to start. I don't want y'all missing the action."

Arsenal laughed and muttered under his breath, "We'll be getting some different kinds of action."

Raven smacked him in the head, almost causing him to drop her. "Hey! What did I do?"

"You're a pervert."

"You enjoy it."

"I tolerate it."

"You tolerate and enjoy it."

She sighed.

Nightwing and Starfire watched as the couple left the room. Nightwing questioned aloud, "Do you really think it's a good time to let them go play?"

"Well, Raven would have to leave anyways. She amplifies most magical energy around her, so having her near an event like this might break through Dr. Fates' shields and alert people we don't want alerted. Arsenal gets to go with her...cause...well...it's just nice to see young love."

Starfire sighed dreamily, and leaned into Nightwing. "What of old love?"

Cyborg laughed. "Yeah, you and Nightwing are passé by now."

"Pass what?" She asked, but Nightwing only smiled and didn't explain. She shrugged it off and went back to studying the device Flash and Cyborg were slowly checking on.

"It looks good, and it passed the test," Cyborg said to Wally.

Wally, not in uniform, and looking slightly weary, replied, "Thought it would. After this, I think I'll dismantle it."

Cyborg looked surprised. "Why?"

Flash looked down, sorrow etched across his face. "It's too tempting."

Cyborg nodded, and knew why it was so tempting. Wally's son, Kid Flash, had died only a year ago. He'd died because of Connor Kent, Superboy, but once again, there was no way to prove it. It was Titan word against Superboy's, and as usual, the world's greatest superhero's clone won. The Flash had believed Cyborg though, and left the Justice League, going into seclusion. It was at Cyborg's request that Wally had come, and brought this with him. It would be the last thing Flash would do for this world. After this, he was out. Completely. No more crimefighting, no more violence, no more death. He would settle down, and let his life pass him by. It too, was tempting.

Cyborg nodded. "So, let's go over the plan again..."

* * *

**2006

* * *

**

"What happened?" Robin demanded as he, Cyborg, and Starfire followed Beast Boy as he carried Raven to the medical lab.

"I don't know! We were talking, and I looked over and she'd dropped her tea and was all wide-eyed and gasping. I thought she'd burned herself or something, but then her eyes went all white and stuff. Like she was CRAZY."

"And?" Cyborg prompted as Gar set Raven down on the medical table, before stepping back as Cyborg started to run tests.

"I grabbed her hand and she kinda gasped again. I think she started to come out of it, cause her pupils came back but were all green, but then she just slumped and wouldn't wake up!" Gar said in a rush, allowing Starfire to pull him away from the table.

After several minutes of tense silence, Cyborg looked up from the computer. "She's fine."

Starfire wrung her hands. "What do you mean? She won't wake up."

"She's...asleep, it appears. I don't think it's natural, but all her brain activity is normal for someone who is asleep. I could try some drugs to wake her up, but..."

"But what?" Gar asked, hopping onto the counter where he could stare at Raven without any interference.

Cyborg explained. "But she's half-demon. I don't know how drugs affect her."

"Well try!" Gar told him, his anxiety clear on his lean faces. The others exchanged glances, before silently electing Robin to talk to him.

"We can't. We'll just have to wait and if she doesn't wake up, then we'll take her to a hospital. None of us are really doctors; we could end up killing her."

"Why wait? Why not go now?"

"Raven might just snap out of this. It might be some quirky demon thing." Cyborg supplied as he straightened Raven on the table, getting out a sheet to cover her with.

"Or," Robin added, "this might be an attack of some kind, and I don't think we should immediately get civilians involved."

Gar nodded, knowing they were right, but not liking it. It was uncomfortable for him to watch a close teammate just lie there, not awake, hurt, and not knowing what to do about it. The other three stood there too, alternately watching Raven and the over-taxed Gar. Robin wasn't sure what to do either, but as leader, there wasn't much he could do but wait. Starfire was contemplating if Raven would mind if she painted her toenails while she slept. Cyborg was thinking that he would use Gar's obvious crush on Raven to blackmail him into doing the dishes later.

As it was, all those thoughts were interrupted within the next couple seconds.

* * *

**2011

* * *

**

Wally ran faster and harder than before, pounding on the Time Treadmill, though the Titans couldn't really tell, given that he was no more than a blur at this point, one that shone and crackled with something akin to electricity. Around the event Wally was creating, the Titans watched with trepidation. Nightwing questioned whether this was truly a good idea, whether or not he could seek out Batman, convince him to convince the League to assist. Kory questioned whether or not Nightwing would ever live up to the promises he made. Cyborg questioned whether or not it'd been a mistake to call the Flash, who was still locked in a grief untouchable by even the injustices of the world.

Raven and Arsenal questioned little, so lost in sensations as they were. However, Raven felt the event forming below her feet, and it distracted her a little, allowing Arsenal to get a lick in that caused her to scream a bit in frustration.

As the event widened, almost big enough for the Flash to get through, it started to put out small shockwaves. In his chambers, Dr. Fate felt them, and reached for the small communicator at his side. He'd agreed to do this for Raven, who'd once tutored him in demonology during an emergency several years ago, but this was beyond was he could do. He tried in vain to reach Cyborg, to tell him that the shock waves were going to grow too large for him to shield, but couldn't get through.

Cyborg couldn't hear much of anything over the sound of the timeline ripping, not even with his superb hearing. The trio of Titans stood and watched as the rip fully opened. It was time for Wally to start his second part. The rip would only last a few seconds, not long enough for anyone else to go in and retrieve the past Titans, no one but Wally. A distinct set of blue of white colors disappeared from the blur of action in front of them, and for a few seconds, time slowed down, as the machine slowed just a bit. Finally, it sped back up as the colors reappeared amidst the event, and a five kids almost spontaneously appeared in front of the three of them. They knew it wasn't magic, but it appeared like it sometimes.

Four of the kids stared up at the Titans, shock, caution, and readiness for action flickering through those gazes. Robin stood, and went toe-to-toe with his future self, though he didn't know it. Starfire, who did recognize his future self, stood and dusted herself off, before sharing a small wave with her own future self, who she didn't recognize. Beast Boy stood protectively over the prone body of Raven, and Cyborg studied himself, who he did recognize, cause he was a sexy bitch if he did say so himself, and he did.

Behind them, Wally started to slow down the treadmill, slowly closing the rift. As the noise abated, a chirping on Victor's arm became apparent. He pressed a button, and listened to whatever was being broadcast into his mind. He swore out loud, before turning to Kory. "Go get Raven. We got a problem."

"Damn right, you've got a problem! Who are you and why are we here?" Robin demanded. Nightwing, slightly amused, used one arm to push the kid away, causing him to stumble and kick out, knocking Nightwing in the shin and making him swear and not be so amused anymore.

Kory nodded and slowly floated out of the room, leaving Victor and Nightwing to deal with their past selves. Cyborg grinned. "Welcome to the Future! I am Cyborg, your host for the day, and this is Nightwing, the bouncer. Please keep all hands and feet to yourselves, lest we have to spank you."

Beast Boy spoke up for the first time. "How do we know you are who you say you are?"

Cyborg glared at Beast Boy, old feelings resurfacing, but he pushed them down. "I can prove it."

"Then do so," Robin said, glaring at both of them, his hand on his batarangs.

For his part, the younger Cyborg grinned and gestured to Victor, the older Cyborg. "Oooh, I'm sexy."

Beast Boy and Robin fought the urge to smack him.

* * *

OOoohhh...yay! We get some answers! Oh, and...Raven and Arsenal...totally not doing what you think they are you dirty people. DIRTY. 


	4. Chapter Four

Woohoo! Another chapter, and so SOON! There will be an answer to a question several of the reviews asked...but there will be more questions too...sooo...HA!

* * *

2011

* * *

Raven ducked under a table as a volley of arrows followed her across the room. She smiled maliciously and vaulted over the table, using the force of the jump to repel herself off the wall and back at her attacker.

Speedy dodged her jump at him, and drew another arrow. "Now, when you said you wanted to blow off some steam, I thought you meant something else."

Raven shrugged and drew a long sparring stick off the wall. Easily a foot longer than she was tall, she competently spun it around in her hands, using it to repel the arrows (dull-ended as sparring requires). Speedy grinned and spoke again. "See, if I'd known you wanted to kick my ass, I'd have stayed with the Titans. This isn't my idea of fun."

Raven used the long staff to lift herself off the ground, around the trampoline in the middle of the gym, and into Speedy, knocking his bow to the ground. Immediately, he replied by using his nimble feet to knock the staff from under her, slamming her to the ground, and tossing it away.

"Okay, Roy, let's do this hand to hand."

"I love it when you use your hands, but, we're sparring. Call me Speedy."

Raven laughed, and dodged a right hook he tried to get her with. "I thought you only wanted me to call you Speedy in bed."

Roy, Speedy, and oh so shocked, froze for a few moments, allowing her to get in a quick upper cut, knocking him back several feet and regaining his attention. "Was that a smirch on my bed record?"

Raven laughed again, lashing out with her legs, aiming for his chest, though he caught her foot and used the momentum to twist it, sending her into a mid-air spiral. Luckily, she was used to being in the air, and caught the rhythm of the attack, using the final turn in the air to bring her left foot into the side of his head, and getting him to release her. She landed lightly in her feet, within seconds back in normal fighting stance.

"Bed record? Babe, you've got an entire collection."

"Are you trying to say something?"

"You're a man-whore."

"I'm hurt."

"Hey, I'm dating you, and I'm fine with it."

Speedy shrugged off the light banter about his extensive bed partner list, and focused back on the fight. Raven did the same, and the conversation, what there was of it, dissipated. As one, they focused on each other and thoughts also slipped away. As usual between them, this was a physical thing, chemistry and instincts mixing so that they were at their most potential for violence.

Raven watched as he used his smaller stature (he was only 5'8'', compared to her own 5'1'', and most of the male Titans' six feet and over) to move quickly across the floor, coming in for a close match of fists. As she prepared to defend herself, small metaphysical waves across the psychic/magical plane distracted her.

Not realizing she wasn't in the game, as it were, Speedy brought his fist up, hitting her under the chin and knocking her back a couple feet. Raven let out a moan of frustration, and though he had pulled his punch, she would still have a bruise, and was going to make him pay for it.

She slipped into a handstand so quickly Speedy had no chance to back away. She wrapped her legs around his neck, using the force with which she'd gone done with to propel her back up, and take him down at the same time. Twisting in mid-air, she turned his body and her's, so that he landed face-down, and she straddled him above.

Speedy said something muffled by the floor, and Raven left up with her hips a bit to hear. "That hurt."

"It was meant to."

"I think I'm bleeding."

"I think my chin hurts."

"You were asking for it."

"Ummm...excuse me? Raven? Speedy? Cyborg would like you both to come downstairs," Kory said from the doorway, with a blush that clearly indicated she'd expected a) something else than what she was seeing, and b) what she was seeing wasn't so innocent either.

Raven nodded and gave a small smile as Speedy stood up with a split lip. He pouted at her as Kory turned and left. "I kicked your ass."

He stopped pouting. "Did not."

"Did too. I always do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

She kissed him, slightly tasting the copper of his blood, the human in her repulsed, but the demon enjoying it immensely. He smiled back (splitting his lip further) and shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm better in bed."

"You're the man, you should be. You have to do one thing. I have to move my hips and my back and my legs and my head..."

"...but you accept that I'm better?"

"You've also had more practice."

* * *

The Teen Titans took seats in an all too familiar living room/kitchen and watched as what appeared to be their adult selves (? possibly...maybe...looks like) brooded over them. The Flash, or Wally as he introduced himself, quickly cooled down the exercise machine he'd used to bring them forward in time and left for his "room". Robin didn't know what exercise had to do with time travel, but he'd be interested to find out. Something told him ole Bats would like that knowledge.

Other than Robin, the other Teen Titans weren't entirely sure what was going on. Beast Boy was concerned about Raven, who still hadn't woken up, and Starfire didn't know what was going on so she sat there and looked pretty, while Cyborg simply admired the gorgeous black man he was and would become. Raven was unconscious, so she didn't think anything.

Finally, Kory returned in all her near-naked orange and purple glory. Robin had to admit that Starfire grew up good. By the way Kory cozied up with "Nightwing", he guessed that he and Starfire would "grow up" together.

Victor sighed as Kory passed him, heading for Nightwing, who gladly wrapped an arm around the Tameranian and brought her to his side. When Raven and Speedy weren't quick in appearing in the doorway, he turned to Kory. "Where are Rae and Roy?"

"They're busy."

"Busy?"

She nodded and smiled broadly. "They're busy."

Victor shouted in frustration. "This is no time to be busy! Don't they realize the trouble we're gonna be in?"

Kory smiled broader. "Not that kind of busy. They'll be here within ten minutes."

"Ten minutes is too long!"

"That is what I hypothesize it will take them to finish what they are doing. They might be here sooner."

Beast Boy elbowed Starfire in the side, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially. "See? You do get a better handle on the language."

She grinned back. "I do see! I even use a word with more than two syllables!" Beast Boy only grinned back before turning back to Raven, who he'd carried to the couch and laid on it.

Back across the room, Nightwing grinned. "If I was with Speedy, I'd want to be distracted."

"If you were with Speedy..." Kory thought on that. "...I'd have to hurt you."

Victor sighed, and turned to a panel in the wall. "I hope they hurry, cause we don't have much time."

Nightwing shook off Kory and turned to Victor. "What do you mean?"

"Dr. Fate tells me that some unforeseen microwave activity might have leaked what we're doing if the wrong people were monitoring it. If they were, we'll see some activity in the next hour."

At the door, Raven and Speedy entered, the latter still bleeding. Nightwing burst out laughing. "Man, Roy! I knew you were pussywhipped, but actually whipped too?"

Raven used her magic to slap Nightwing in the head and turned to the Teen Titans. She studiously did not look at the green one. "It worked."

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, it did. One problem though."

Raven stepped close enough for him to speak without the Teen Titans hearing. "There was some activity, on the psychic plane, or so Dr. Fate is telling me."

Raven nodded. "How much time do we have?"

"Less than an hour."

Raven nodded again and turned back to the Teen Titans. "Welcome to 2011, Teen Titans. We are the Titans."

Starfire leaned on her elbows and watched Raven talk, seemingly fascinated. "You're the future version of us? The Teen Titans?"

"Not really," Kory answered the question her past self put forth. "We're the Titans. No teen. Appropriate since we're not teens anymore."

Raven nodded and continued on her pre-planned speech, something she'd have gladly forced Victor (Cyborg) to deliver, but he wasn't as good with charisma as she was...oh, who was she kidding? They forced her to do it. Fucking vote. "If we were still teens, we wouldn't have needed you."

Robin stood. "Needed us? For what?"

Raven smiled (something they'd never seen before and utterly creeped out the Teen Titans). "To save the world."

"Why can't you do it?" Cyborg asked, still admiring the beautifulness that was himself.

Raven gestured to the open bay windows, and the Teen Titans stood to look out. Directly surrounding Titan Tower was the San Francisco Bay...which appeared to be filled with at least twelve ships, all facing the Tower. "We can't leave."

Beast Boy sat back down near the unconscious Raven's head, placing his arm protecting by her side. "Why not?"

Nightwing sighed. "We're on house arrest."

"Why?" Starfire asked.

Raven smiled again. "Murder tends to cause incarceration of some sort."

The Teen Titans gaped, but it was the quickly re-awakening formerly unconscious Raven who said what they were all thinking (though she didn't mean it in the way they were thinking it, as she was still asleep and working on instincts alone when she said these things).

"Wrong," she murmured, her violet eyes opening and closing rapidly. "This is wrong. Bad. Wrong. Stop...it's...bad..."

Beast Boy pulled her to his chest, murmuring comfort to her ear as she started to wake, until she slipped back into unconsciousness again. He glared at the (non-Teen) Titans. "Something is seriously whacked out here."


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: I was trying to wait until my document manager was repaired, but since it hasn't happened yet, I guess I'll go ahead and give y'all your update, yes?

**Chapter Five**

Raven smiled at the shocked faces of the teens, and tried not to laugh. Yes, laugh. Years of meditations and rigorous training had allowed her the amount of control over her powers that now she could indulge in the occasional emotion, though most often it was the negative ones that she tended to.

"Our little prison isn't why we've called you here," Raven said, and pointed to the armada out the window. "Those, we can handle. However, we do have a problem we can't handle."

Robin stood front and center to the Teen Titans and nodded. "Then get on with it and tell us what."

Raven nodded, and walked over to a large monitor in the wall, and with a couple of taps had a villain profile coming up. The large picture drew everyone's attention first. It was a male, seemingly thirty years old, but with bright white hair. He was grinning, but not with the usual "crazy" zeal. He could have been any human walking around on the street, with nothing to tell you that he had the highest IQ on Earth, and no quibbles about how he used it.

"He calls himself Father Time. Using a radical invention of his, he used chronin radiation to time travel. This, however, is the first time chronin radiation has ever been used this way. Usually, you only encounter chronin when there's been a rip in the timeline. It's considered a product of time travel, not a method, and for good reason. Father Time took his first trip back to time a month ago, since then Victor," nod to adult Cyborg behind her, "has detected several event in the timeline. So far, one casualty.

"We were able to track down and give over Father Time to justice about two weeks ago, but we've discovered a new problem."

The Teen Titans waited for Raven to continue, but she didn't, and indeed seemed at a loss for words. Finally, she started to speak again. "Time isn't linear, which is something I'm sure you know. What most people do not know is that time isn't circular either." Raven summoned her soul self and used it to form a sphere, completely translucent but filled with equidistant black dots. They didn't move, and were all completely stationary. "Each moment in time forms one of these dots. Most modes of time travel use the "fastest route", which is a straight line," her soul self formed a line from one dot to another, "and that's how the user travels. However, with some study, we've formed a hypothesis about how the chronin radiation is working." The line disappeared, and one of the small dots burned a bright red. "Instead of causing a rip or event in time, the radiation is causing lashes, in a way." Suddenly, a long curving line came out of the red dot, slicing through several dots and causing them to turn bright red for a moment, but it continued to move, slashing wildly about. Finally, it started to dissipate, but now there were two bright red dots. "The point in time that is hit most by these lashes, is where Father Time traveled, but there was side effect, that only came to our attention just last week." Inside the sphere, instead of a 'lash' forming, a small wave of red energy did, and it washed over many of the dots in the sphere, once again only one other turning red, or at least at first. Slowly, the wave grew stronger in color, and more dots started to turn.

Raven lowered her hand and the sphere disappeared. "The side effect is that instead of just him traveling to the past or the future, that wave is starting to bring things to the present too."

Starfire cocked her head to the side, leaning around Robin to see (he was standing in front of her, you see, all protective and the like). "Like what?"

"Right now, we've been able to confirm three vases, two houses, and a dog."

Cyborg laughed. "That's it?"

Raven didn't smile. "Let me make clear. Two people died when their car crashed into one of those houses. The street they'd been driving on hadn't been created until only last year, and they didn't see the house."

Cyborg laughed again. "How do you not see a house?"

"It wasn't visible. It's another side effect of the radiation. Things from the past can't be seen in the present." Raven struggled again to explain. "The objects actually are in the past, and for now the radiation is bring shells of what they are, the matter of them, but not the visuals. When the radiation begins to disperse, they do become visible, but until then, no one can see them."

Nightwing stepped up and glared down at the Titans. "The real problem isn't the objects that are coming back, it's the people."

Robin stared up at his future self and had to admit he was sexy. Then, he shook off that little thought and tried to get serious. "Who?"

Raven patted Nightwing on the shoulder and moved him back to the other Titans. "We think one, and we think he was brought here deliberately, however Father Time won't speak to us."

Robin repeated again. "Who?"

"Father Time has brought here his past self. Now that Father Time has been incarcerated, we believe his past self is leaving the machine on to create chaos while he plans to free his adult self."

"Why don't you just go out and catch him like you did Father Time?"

"He's of the past. We can't see him," Raven explained, then smiled broadly. "But you can. He's from a few months ahead of your present. You'll be able to see him, and bring him down."

Robin scratched his chin ponderously. "So you brought us here to do your job? Why not just get help from someone in this time?"

Raven sighed. "As I already explained, we aren't in contact with anyone right now. Even if we were, who would believe us? If what we say isn't true, then no harm, no foul for you. You don't see him, then you go home."

The Teen Titans stared at Raven before sharing a non-verbal little argument mentally. Robin once again turned to speak. "We'll need time to talk this over."

Raven nodded before gesturing to Victor. "Vic will show you to rooms. I'll take...myself...to the infirmary."

Beast Boy glared at her. "How about we take her?"

Raven's face went unreadable and she nodded mutely. Together, with Beast Boy carrying Raven, and adult Raven leading, the trio left the room. The others stared blankly at each other, before Arsenal and Nightwing stood.

Roy smiled. "We should get going. Don't wanna get caught being here, you know?"

Starfire watched as he and the older Robin stood. "You do not stay here?"

Roy laughed. "No. Me and Dickie aren't Titans anymore, at least, not officially. We still come and help when called though."

Nightwing nodded. "That's what makes us real Titans, that we still come."

A voice came out of the darkened hallway, a voice deepened with age, but still recognizable by its considerable mirth never entirely gone. "And that's what makes me no longer a Titan, yes? That I don't ask how high when Cyborg says jump? That I don't drop everything for every battle the Titans think they need help with?" Garfield Logan, Changling, nee Beast Boy, stepped from the shadows, older, wiser, but as green as ever. "Or is it that I refused to be part of your little breaking and entering and murder a couple of months ago? Is that why I'm branded traitor?"

Victor smiled and didn't turn, his sensors having indicated that Changling had entered the Tower a little over five minutes ago, and he hadn't been surprised even then. After all, Gar was the only "Teen Titan" who could enter the Tower (because of his DNA), and was also the only one currently payrolled and lapdog to and by the Justice League, the Titan's judge, jury, and warden.

Nightwing smiled bitterly. "You're a traitor because in times of need, you want to play Doom Patrol instead of helping your friends."

Gar smiled and help up one finger as if to say "ha!". "I believe you mean former friends."


	6. Chapter Six

Yay, another chapter...and...FINALLY...some Raven/Beast Boy...

**Chapter Six**

Beast Boy carried Raven close to his chest as they descended a floor into the medical lab. In his own time, it was barely a room, however in the future it encompassed most of the floor. Raven, the future and conscious one, answered his thoughts.

"There are many members of the Titans now, and during large battles, many injuries. When the Tower was rebuilt, Victor decided that the medical area needed to be enlarged."

"Titan Tower had to be rebuilt?"

Raven nodded, opening a set of doors leading to a private medical room, gesturing for him to lay her past/present self down. "I went a little crazy, got a little distracted...allowed Trigon to destroy the Tower."

"Trigon? Your father?"

She nodded, her purple eyes flickering dangerously. "We stopped him though. In this time, he's gone for real."

Beast Boy nodded. "Is that what allows you to...emote?"

Raven laughed. "In a way, yes. Mostly I can show my emotions because I no longer fear them." She gestured to the Raven that lay on the bed. "I, we, grew up in a very distant place. We were taught that emotions were bad. The Azarathians thought they were teaching me the good thing, so that my father wouldn't be able to control me. They were wrong, but their hearts were in the right place. After the second or third time he snuck onto Earth through my emotions, I learned that I didn't need to suppress them. I needed to control them."

Beast Boy nodded. "So...um...is she going to be alright?"

Raven studied her past self, so young in mind, body, and soul. Even unconscious, her mental shields stayed up, never relaxed. It was a state of living that she herself had dealt with for far longer than this girl. It was easy to get a read on how her mind was recovering. "She is unconscious, but as her mind heals, she will drift into sleeping. In a few hours, she'll wake with a head ache, and a little hunger." She glanced at the worry on the green boy's face, seeing it there stirring emotions she didn't want to remember. Or rather, ones she didn't want to regret, not anymore.

Even as she told him this, the edges of her senses stirred, telling her of two people heading this way. One, she expected, and the other, she expected long gone. It seemed that he felt the need to protect her from this, from something she knew she didn't need protecting from, or rather, she hoped.

"You can stay here with her, until then, if you wish. I must return."

Beast Boy looked surprised. "You're leaving me here, all alone?"

Raven gently touched the side of his cheek. "I trust you. I always have"_ Even with my heart, though you never realized it_, but she kept that thought to herself, instead walking to the doors and letting herself out.

In the hallway, it was dark, and she pulled those shadows to her, an element she was comfortable with. Emotions she'd long languished in. Keeping them held to her, she walked slowly down the hallway, stopping just around the corner as Arsenal and Changeling walked into sight. They weren't speaking, but rather were glaring in unsaid emotions, one of which was envy and jealousy. Raven smiled a bit, such emotions had long ago been her food, what she survived on, but those were old times, times best forgotten.

"Roy? I thought you were leaving?"

He nodded, stepping away from Changeling, who'd stopped when she spoke, still several feet away. "I wanted to check with you before I left," unsaid: _I wanted to make sure you could handle seeing him again, I know you're fragile and some part of me loves you and wants you to be okay._

Raven smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine. Beast Boy and myself are settled, I am healing. You and Nightwing should go. You've duties to other teams."

Roy nodded, and leaned over, brushing a kiss against her cheek, lingering there for a few seconds. Raven allowed him to linger, enjoying the brief touch of an old lover to settle the anxiety that rolled in her stomach. With a small smile, Roy walked away, up the stairs, and out of sight. Changeling and Raven stared at each other.

"Gar. I take it you're here to spy some more." It wasn't a question.

"Someone has to make sure y'all don't cause too much trouble."

"As if we ever did before?" That was a question. For once in her life, Raven didn't know what was going on in Gar's head. He was an enigma to her, his emotions and thoughts locked against her by some training, and from his methods, probably that bitch Zatanna.

Gar shrugged. "We caused trouble, but we had fun while we did it."

"We were kids, it was all fun and games to us."

He shrugged again. "We're not kids anymore."

Raven stepped closer. "So we abandon our old friends and toys for a new way?"

He shook his head. "I abandoned no one."

She smiled. "I know."

He looked at her in surprise, unconsciously stepping forward too. "So you don't think me a traitor? The others do."

"I know you better than them. I understand why you stayed away. It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

He didn't know what to say. Of all the Titans, Raven had been the one he'd loved the most, in the same ways, and different. He'd long ago accepted that they'd never be together the way he'd once wanted. Too many things now stood between them. He stepped back. "You and Arsenal? I can say I didn't see that coming."

Raven let the smile slip from her face slowly, but kept the amused air about her. "Roy? We're never really together."

"You seem to be together."

"Ah, but...I am with him, but he's not with me. Roy is a free-agent. Goes where he will, with who he will." It was a situation she'd accepted long ago. Roy, as Speedy, had loved and lost Donna, Wonder Girl. He'd never gotten over losing his first love, just as she had never gotten over her's. It was one of the things that'd pulled them together. Pain. The inability to love again. And lust.

Gar looked at her hard. "You deserve better."

She ignored the comment. "What are you doing down here?"

"I wanted to check on the rest of the Teen Titans," he explained, before changing the subject. "You don't really think this will prove anything?"

Raven cocked an eyebrow, before moving aside to let him pass. "I have nothing to prove. I know what's right. I know what's true. I feel pity for you, that you no longer believe what I say, even when your life is in danger."

Gar walked past, but not before leaning close to whisper in her ear, "You pity me now, but once you loved me." And as he walked away, even with his animal hearing, he didn't hear her whisper back.

"I still do." It was good that he didn't though. Raven and Garfield Logan, in this time and place, could never and would never be together. Too many problems, issues, and people between them. A long time ago, they might have stood a chance. Now they stood on opposite sides of the spectrum. Hero on one end, and vigilante on the other. The distance was not traversable.

For the two in that medical room, however, there was no distance. There were few problems between them, and only one person to interfere, and Terra was long gone. Beast Boy, having a terrible thirst, and waited only a minute to follow Raven, and thus, heard the entire conversation. Though young and inexperienced in the ways of adults, and the nuances of unspoken words and long silences, he could tell that something had happened between himself and Raven, something he didn't know, and didn't plan, but something he wanted to know fully about.

He returned to the room, just as Changeling and Raven turned the corner, taking a seat by Raven's bed, impulsively taking her hand. She looked so small and vulnerable on the white sheets, her dark and almost black, but more purple hair spread out behind her. Her cloak lay on the table beside them, and as the footsteps echoed outside the door, he rose and began to cover her with sheets. When he turned back to the door, he came face to face with himself. He was surprised by how little he'd changed in five years.


	7. Chapter Seven

Woot woot...new chapter!

A/N: For anyone interested, I've started a forum for my stories. You can find a link currently in my profile letter, and also there is a link at the very top of my profile called "My Forums". LOL...mine, not yours. Anyone with questions, or comments, or just wanting to talk about anything, can go there. I'm always open to talking.

**Chapter Seven**

Beast Boy eyed Changeling, as Changeling eyed Beast Boy. Both pairs of eyes took in their similarities and their differences. Beast Boy noted that he'd grow at least another two inches. Changeling noted that he used to be greener, if possible. Well, you know what they say about the grass...

"Hi," they said to each other simultaneously. They both chuckled, and started to speak. "Sorry-"

"So you're..."

"Yeah. I'm-..." The in sync green boys laughed.

Raven, tired of listening to two Garfields talk at the same time (saying the same things), stepped past them and towards her own self. Levitating a small scanner to her hand, she began to ascertain the state of her teenage self. As she did so, some strange readings on the edge of the screening range began to occur. Almost as if there were five people in the room, instead of four...

Not noticing Raven's sudden attentiveness to the scanner in her hand, Beast Boy and Changeling were having a good time testing out the whole "we're the same person thing". Slowly, yet still identically, they poked each other in the shoulder."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"STOP THAT!"

"STOP THAT!"

And still they laughed. Changeling had never expected his younger self to be so amusing, in face, had prepared himself to be affronted by how childish he once was, yet he was surprised. Either, he'd been more mature at that age than he thought...or he still wasn't very mature. As he and Beast Boy poked each other in the chest, he admitted that it was most likely the latter.

Beast Boy grinned. "There once was a man from Nantucket..."

Changeling grinned back. "Who-"

"Shut up," Raven interrupted, still gazing raptly at the scanner in her hand. She gestured Changeling over, and pointedly gazed at a distant wall. "Do you see that?"

Changeling looked between the scanner and the wall. "I see it there, but not there."

Beast Boy did the same. "What are you talking about? He's standing right there."

Changeling and Raven stared at Beast Boy, with Changeling asking, "Who?"

"Some dude. I thought y'all knew him," Beast Boy said, not really understanding what was happening. Even as he turned to return to teenage Raven's side, the boy rushed past him and at adult Raven. He turned to warn them, but even as he did so, the boy slammed into Raven, sending her flying back into the wall. Changeling stood there and watched, but when he reached to grab what was unseen to him, he couldn't feel anything. "Dude, he's over there!" Beast Boy yelled as he rushed at the boy. The boy, who turned to Beast Boy, but wasn't prepared for the punch Beast Boy sent his way, tumbled to the floor before pressing a button on his wrist and disappearing completely.

Changeling walked around with his arms out, feeling for the attacker. "Where's he at? I'll get him!"

Beast Boy watched himself walked around like that for a few minutes before letting Gar in on the facts. "Umm...he's gone now."

Raven stood and dusted herself off. "So, Garfield...believe me now?"

Changeling just glared.

Beast Boy asked the obvious question. "What was he doing here? I assume that's the Father Time kid?"

Raven nodded. "Without a visual, I can't really confirm, but I do suspect." She sighed, picking up the now broken scanner and throwing it into a nearby trashcan. "Victor and I thought he might come here, one of the reasons we wanted the Teen Titans here. Only we have the information of where the adult Father Time is imprisoned."

Changeling cocked an eyebrow. "So Invisible Boy will be back?"

Raven nodded. "Highly likely."

Changeling nodded, before wrapping an arm around Beast Boy's shoulders. "I guess I'm not leaving anytime soon, then, huh?"

Raven hung her head. "I thought you'd say that."

Changeling ignored her mock sadness, and instead straightened up and said sanctimoniously. "I must call my superiors."

Raven spit the word back at him. "Go ahead and call your _superiors_."

Beast Boy was shocked by the vehemence of the hatred in her voice, and subconsciously took a step back from both Changeling and Raven. Beside him, she stirred in the bed, Raven slipping into sleep from her state of unconsciousness, and murmuring a bit as deep REM cycles began in her mind.

"Umm...am I missing something?"

Raven grinned and patted Beast Boy on the head. "See, once you were a big ole puppy dog, but now you're just a pussy."

Changeling's mouth dropped. "I can't believe you just said that."

Raven grinned evilly. "Well, grow a pair eventually, and I'll stop." With that, she huffed out of the room, intent on informing the rest of the Titans what had just occurred. She'd leave out the angst she was feeling with the return of her teenage crush to the fold.

Beast Boy watched as she left, before turning to Changeling. "I still think I'm missing something."

Changeling shrugged. "You and me, both, kid."

Beast Boy shrugged too, and watched as Changeling left, following Raven on her way upstairs. Slowly, he sank into the chair beside the bed, and took Raven's hand. It was calmingly cool in his own slightly excited and warm hands. Not that his hands were ever cold. Something about his body meant that he was always running a bit "hot" under the collar.

Raven opened her eyes a bit, enough to tell that it was way too bright for her. "Arg...lights..."

Beast Boy rushed to turn down the overhead lights, immediately returning to her side. "Rae! You're alright!"

She tried to nod, but a sudden rush of blood around her head made her regret it. "Yeah, but I've got a killer migraine."

"You won't believe-"

"I already know."

Beast Boy took his seat. "How?"

"She, my older self, transmitted all the information to my mind at the same time she was explaining it to you." Raven tried to adjust herself in bed, but she found herself oddly fatigued and hard to maneuver. Beast Boy rose and gripped her arms, helping her raise herself up a bit.

"And?"

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "And what?"

"Is she telling the truth?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're the know-it-all."

She glared. "I am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am-"

"I thought you could read her mind or whatnot?" He interrupted, kinda missing the teasing between them, but not wanting to exhaust her. She was visibly tired, her eyes glazed over a bit, and her movements cautious, as if she was in great pain.

"I usually can. She overloaded my mind, Gar. I can't sense anything."

Beast Boy nodded his head, but he didn't really understand. Of course, he'd never had to deal with the 24/7 unending stream of consciousnesses around him, never shutting off. Raven was personally a little thankful for a break.

"What are we going to do?"

Raven smiled a small smile as she settled herself back into the bed more comfortably. "What el capitan tells us to, we're going to think on it."

Beast Boy sat down with a huff. He hated having to be serious about things. Then, something he'd just heard occurred to him. "Hey Raven..."

"Hmmm?"

"Did you know you're hot for me in this time?"

"Really...I must be on drugs or something..."

"What does that mean?"

"Take it how you want, Beast Boy."

"I think given the circumstances, I should go by the name Beast Man," Gar mused to himself.

Raven allowed herself a small titter on the subject, which of course, set Beast Boy off on a tangent about how mature he'd grown. Raven listened for a bit, but eventually, the smooth and deep tone of his voice, even if it was extolling his virtues, lulled her back to sleep. Beast Boy, despite wanting to talk to her about so many things that were only now occurring to him, let her.


	8. Chapter Eight

New chapter! YAY! And...I'm thinking of changing the title of this fic. It was an impulse name, just something to have on the title. Sooo...any nominations or ideas? Don't worry, if your idea sucks, I won't say...I just won't use it, LOL! Sorry...I'm MEAN today...

**Chapter Eight  
**

"Do you mind if I make this call in private!"

Victor watched stoically as Changeling paced the small communications room, cocking his head when the green man burst out that little question. He smiled grimly. "Don't want me to hear your super secret spy talk with your overly manipulative condescending parental controllers?"

Changeling stopped pacing and stared at Victor, his old child friend, and one of the few people he'd ever truly loved, in a completely heterosexual way. "Wow...been reading Raven's books again?"

Victor let a small sheepish grin loose, before becoming stone-cold again. Garfield was not to be trusted any longer. "No."

"I guess I should tell her then?"

"No."

"I think I will."

"..."

"I wonder if she knows you've been in her room."

"..."

"I bet you raided her panty drawer. Maybe I should tell her..."

"I'll leave you to your call."

Victor beat a hasty retreat, fully intending to stand outside and eavesdrop, only to get distracted by Kory walking by with the Teen Titans, intending to show them to some temporary quarters. Behind him, Changeling drew out his phone and dialed an untraceable number.

Martian Manhunter answered. "Changeling. How was the re-assimilation into the Titans received?"

Gar worked that out in his head, and answered softly, "It was encountered fine. I'm not bleeding, which means it was good."

"What did you find?" A new voice asked, calm and assured as only Batman could be. Batman, who without showing it, was eager for any news of Nightwing, the prodigal apprentice who'd been estranged from the Black Knight for going on four years now.

"The Teen Titans. And no, it's not a new team. It's us."

Another new voice, this time of Superman, the Man of Steel himself. "How is that possible?"

Gar sighed. "You knew Wally was here."

Wonder Woman was shocked when she asked, "He's helping them?"

Gar nodded, then realized that they couldn't see it...well...most of them couldn't see it. Martian Manhunter just might. "Yes, he's helping them, but we've got a bigger problem."

Superman again. "What?"

"They're telling the truth."

Silence.

"I encountered the "invisible criminal" myself."

Batman asked aloud what they all were thinking. "If they're telling the truth, they might have been telling it then."

Superman shot that down. "It doesn't matter what truth is anymore. They killed. They cannot be trusted." Everyone took that with a grain of salt given that it was Superboy, Superman's clone, that they'd killed. By Starfire's own hand, Connor had died, though honestly, this was a Superman incarnate. Until he died, Connor had fought, and fought hard. Taken out Raven, Cyborg, and Kid Flash (permanently) before Starfire and Nightwing had even gotten to him.

"How long do you want me to stay here and watch them?"

Silence again, but now the kind that was rife with unrecognizable murmurs. "They have the _teen_ Titans there?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Yeah."

Immediately Superman spoke up. "That breaks rule 3a of the Meta-Charter. No underage justice activity. We could bring them in now." And he only sounded so eager to do so.

Gar spoke up. "Technically, they're not here. They're in the past. They're just manifesting here."

Batman's intrigue was clear even over phone. "You're defending them?"

Gar didn't say anything.

"I'd have thought you'd have realized where your allegiances were, Gar. Perhaps we should reconsider your place in the League. Maybe you can't be trusted," Superman added.

"I'm trustworthy."

"How can we tell when you're so Titan-friendly at the moment?"

"Get your damn cameras to zoom in, Batman. There is no friendly-ness here. They don't accept me anymore than you do."

Wonder Woman's voice was soft when she spoke. "Torn between two worlds. A situation I can identify with."

There was a comfortable silence for a moment, before Martian Manhunter spoke. "Check back in a few hours. We'll speak again then."

Gar hung up the phone, and knew that even now the impregnable four, once five (with Flash), were even now discussing him and what was happening. Wouldn't do to have one of their most-promising new members to give in to old relationships and teams. The Justice League stood alone, and it's members were required to do the same. There could be no prejudice or leniency. It was the only way being a world power/police force could work. The Justice League made all the decisions these days. Garfield worked with them; because it was the only way he thought he would survive this fascist world.

The Titans had never understood that, or the danger they posed to the new world regime. He could only hope that they'd figure it out before it was too late.

Raven watched as Kory took the Teen Titans on a tour of the new Tower, working her way to their temporary quarters. Victor, who'd been following them for a bit, broke apart to stand with her.

"What are we going to do?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "I didn't take your for the pessimistic type."

"I don't mean in life, Rae, I mean for this plan. What's the next step?"

Raven cocked her head, and smiled a little. "There used to be a time when I wasn't in charge. When you gave the orders."

"Yeah, and with this metaphysical shit, I don't want to be. Tell me what to do."

Raven nodded and turned from the amusing sight of Starfire (young) and Starfire (old) oohing and aahing over the beautiful Tamaranian flowers that populated the indoor garden and studied the Cyborg next to her. "We'll close down the Tower, down to two floors. This one and the one above. Father Time will come for you, that much we know. He needs to information locked in your head, and, unfortunately, he has enough skills and resources that I don't doubt that with enough access he could get it."

"Where do you think he is now?"

"Off licking his wounds. Chronin radiation, when in enough quantities and for a long period of time starts a premature aging process. He's starting to age quickly, and in random spots and periods. He's feeling the pain."

"And them?" Victor nodded to the Teen Titans.

"They're our eyes and ears. They'll tell us when he's here. We'll take care of the rest."

Victor nodded. "Permanently?"

Raven jerked her head back to Victor. "No."

"No?"

"No."

"No."

It wasn't needed to say it. They couldn't kill. As tempting as it was, in this day and age, it wasn't right. Once didn't make it right. The problem was, of course, that heroes are a direct mirror to the criminals they faced. As the criminal element of this world grew more violent and dark and evil, the heroes that fought them took too directions. Some went more opposite, growing more pacifistic and light, generally more good. Instead of that, the Titans had followed that criminal element, becoming darker and more violent. Raven had been aware of that fact for a long time, but even she didn't know how to change what was happening.

Raven smiled a bit to herself, stepping away from the stairs and starting into the Tower. Victor followed. "When will Nightwing and Arsenal be returning?"

"They're checking in with the Outsiders, and will return in a few hours."

Victor nodded. "Start locking down the Tower?"

Raven nodded too. "Check it, level by level. There shouldn't be anyone up there, so any lifesigns, you know who it is. Check in every fifteen minutes." She walked away, her senses telling her that Victor turned back and was heading for the elevator.

Raven entered her quarters, hesitating just inside the doorframe. It was still dark and moody as ever. The only real thing different were the few belongings that now lingered there, the ones that weren't her's.

There was an arrow lodged in her bathroom door frame, a set of brass knuckles on her desk. Boxers on the floor, shoes in her closet, and a man's undershirt lying in the rumpled bed sheets of her bed. None of them her's, but she appreciated their presence there.

All the troubles and issues of the day pulled down on her, and silently she sank to the floor next to her wall, leaning into the wall for comfort. There was the scent of roses lingering there, wafting over from the dozen that sat in a small vase, brought to her by Roy several days ago. Raven didn't know how she was going to tell him. How could she?

How could something so casual, yet comforting, turn into something so terrifyingly permanent? When had it happened? How would she handle it?

Raven lay a hand on her flat stomach. This was proof, you know. No matter what, life goes on. Unbiddingly, "The Circle of Life" began playing in her head. God, Raven's sense of humor was such a bitch sometimes.

She loved him. Roy. It wasn't the all-encompassing passionate love she'd felt for others. It was safe. Controllable. Something that existed but didn't make her exist. She could go on without it. She'd just rather not.

Outside her door, she felt the rumbles and reverberations of four sets of teen feet, and one set of adult alien, stampede past, the walls shaking just a bit from the passing.

With a small laugh, Raven leaned her head back and watched as the illusionary stars on her ceiling winked and danced. Pitter-patter of tiny feet, indeed.


	9. Chapter Nine

YAY...a new chapter...and...YAY...a NEW TITLE!

This chapter is devoted to Shademaster, who gave me the perfect new title. Smooches to you!

A/N: I'm really frakking with DC Universe in this.

* * *

**Former Title: Has Anybody Seen My Baby?**

**New Title: A Strange New Déjà Vu

* * *

**

A/N: Me thinks we need some storytime...

* * *

**Chapter Nine

* * *

**

Once the Tower was shut down, completely (oddly enough, completely darkened it frightened the Naval officers on the ships surrounding it far more than it did when it was lit up in activity, usually the crime-fighting type, though the men watching weren't aware), the Titans and the Teens realized...they had nothing to do but wait. Naturally, them being the friendly little heroes that they all were (or had been...or were going to be), they got to asking questions and gossiping in ways that only heroes can.

"Wait...so you're telling me...that Batman marries Catwoman?"

Kory nodded even as Robin incredulously shook his head. "They were married two years ago, approximately three years from your time. They are quite happy. They've retired."

The Teen Titans, though familiar with Robin's mentor, weren't versed enough in the subtleties of Gotham criminals to really see why this was so interesting, so they moved on.

Starfire, who sat next to the still stunned Robin, anxiously leaned forward. "And Aqualad is deceased?"

Kory wasn't so gleefully mischievous as she answered that question. "Yes. He died only a year ago, quite recently after Kid Flash also expired. It was in fact Kid Flash and Superboy's deaths that spurred the Meta-War, whose resolution was only brought about three months later and ended with the Meta-Charter, a lengthy document dictated by the Justice League saying what and where beings of power and abilities could be used and could do. I only thank X'Hal that Aqualad did not live to see it."

Beast Boy, though truthfully not paying much attention (he was too preoccupied with watching (teen) Raven sit next to Changeling in her pink scrubs (which was all provided to her...though why, no one knows), felt the urge to ask one small question here (he usually wasn't allowed to do such things, given the stupid questions he asks...always).

"What's an exhale?"

Kory laughed. "I spent two years explaining this to you, though you're not aware. X'Hal is my god."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to ask another question, but was cut off by a brief slap in the chest by Raven. "Leave it."

He shrugged and went back to watching Changeling watch (teen) Raven. Something about her fascinated his older self, but what it was he didn't know. Truthfully, other than a little height, a cup size, and a few "laugh" lines (Raven laughs enough in the future to actually GET some), they were, to Beast Boy, exactly the same.

Changeling actually was watching Beast Boy and Raven, though Beast Boy was studiously avoiding Raven and watching himself. Changeling, in hindsight, could see things in himself and young Raven that at the time he hadn't wanted to see. She sometimes looked at him from the corner of her eye; Beast Boy looked at her right on, and didn't even try to hide it. There were touches, seemingly unconscious or not deliberate, but really carefully coordinated. How all this went down without either making a show of it was also buried under much, much denial. It had taken a long time, and honestly, much too late, for him to realize just why he'd done the things he'd done as a teen. Making jokes to make her laugh, trying to get close if only to assure himself she was real, yearning for her smile...and he'd never gotten any of it. Instead, he'd left and returned to find that some smarmy archer had moved in and done everything he'd wanted to do. He'd made her laugh, smile, and lived with her. Changeling was jealous, but even in his jealousy, a thought occurred to him. He didn't have a change with his Raven, his adult Raven...but teen Raven was free at the moment, and there was no telling how long they'd be there.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Beast Boy was seeing in Changeling's eyes, and not liking.

Meanwhile, the others continued.

"What about the other Teen Titans? Bumblebee? Mas y Menos? Bushido? Jinx?" Cyborg asked as he helped Victor plow through a giant sixteen foot sub-sandwich that had miraculously formed out of the fridge. They were both quite gleeful in their hunger, and moved in sync from opposite directions, so clearly the same person in that moment that it gave the rest of them the heebie jeebies.

Raven, the older one, looked away from the door, where she'd been pondering how long before Nightwing and Arsenal returned, and answered the question. "Bumblebee is with the Doom Patrol, along with her boyfriend Mal. Mas y Menos grew six feet and are now Playboys...literally, they pose nude..." She and Kory shared a fond grin at that. "Bushido is still in the East, doing what he does. The situation here in America has yet to spread to the rest of the world, though we don't doubt that it will be long."

Cyborg noticed Raven's deliberate "forget" of Jinx. And he brought it back up. "And Jinx?" So he'd had a crush on the girl. He'd long ago gotten over it...after all...she was currently/in the past involved with Kid Flash in some weird friendship/relationship hybrid that made him both envious and confused. They refused to explain.

Raven didn't. "Jinx no longer does Hero thing."

Robin raised an eyebrow (and on that point...does Robin have eyebrows? Never see them, always covered...maybe he shaves them off so the mask will be nice and snug? Raven stowed those thoughts for later...she already knew he was psychotically well groomed in _all_ areas via Kory and her love of "girl talk"). "Why?"

Raven ducked her head, idly scratching an itch near the top of her stomach...or was it a "womb" now? "After her husband was killed, she took their son and left the business."

Shock all around. Cyborg stopped eating long enough to speak. "She got married and had a kid."

Raven found it a bit amusing, even if just the memory of Jinx on her knees sobbing over Wally's body made her own eyes tickle with tears. "Well, I assume you're aware that she and Wally are dating in your time. In a year, your time, when he turns eighteen, they decide to get married. I'd like to point out they were both drunk. Still, neither wanted to annul it the morning after, and it's a good thing they didn't. Seven months later, Bart was born."

Beast Boy grinned devilishly. "Shotgun wedding!"

Raven shook her head. "No. Their apartment was attacked by the HIVE Four, and she went into premature labor. After that, she stayed home, raised Bart, while Wally did the Hero-business. After he died, she left it completely. Most of us haven't been in contact with her since."

Starfire had a sad look to her, just speaking of such things upset her greatly. "Who has spoken to her?"

"Me."

The real Flash, aka Barry Allen, Wally's mentor, Bart's godfather, and Jinx's current lover.

The Teen Titans, of course, had no real idea who he was. Raven explained. "This is Kid Flash's mentor, the Flash. After the...incident, we invited him here to stay. He hasn't left since."

"Except to visit my godson," Barry added, still standing aloof in the doorway. He'd participated in bringing these children here. He might as well at least see if they were worth it.

Victor snorted, but kept eating the sandwich (he was closer to the middle than Cyborg who was still not eating but staring in shock at the idea of Jinx engaging in...relations)(Victor actually thoroughly enjoyed such thoughts...yeah...).

"And his mother," Raven added, reclining into the cushions of the couch so that she didn't have to strain her neck to look at Barry, who removed the problem by joining her on the couch.

He also ignored that little dig. "What's the plan for Father Time?"

Kory patted him affectionately on the thigh. Barry was not and had never been a Titan, teen or otherwise. However, after the Justice League disbarred him and he'd no home left, they'd welcomed him into the fold, though he didn't actively fight crime anymore. He just lived here. "Well, since we know that the teenage Father Time will come for Victor, since he's the only one who knows where adult Father Time is, then we all stay here, and when he comes, the Teen Titans will tell us and we will attack and capture him."

Barry smiled. "How simple."

"The best plans are, Barry," Raven added sardonically, rising to meet Nightwing and Arsenal, whose soul presences she'd picked up as entering the Tower. She hurried to cut off Arsenal before he entered the common room, pulling him along with her to their room, which of course, despite the sneak-like way she did it, everyone noticed. Victor snorted under his breath about woman and their cravings, whereas Nightwing said nothing and had eyes only for Kory (which hadn't changed much since Robin was also currently looking at Starfire in the usual "you-can't-see-my-eyes-but-they're-hot-for-you" way). Beast Boy watched Changeling watch the little scene with what could only be described as "green" eyes.

Raven took Beast Boy's hand suddenly, startling him. "Gar, I think I need to lie down," she said in a whispered rush.

"What's wrong?" He whispered back, keeping her hand and leaning close to speak directly into her ear. Some of the others noticed, and some did not.

"My shields still aren't at the level they should be. The emotions of everyone is starting to get to me."

Beast Boy immediately stood, and used her hand that he held to pull her to her feet as well. "Uh, I think I'll go find a place to crash, I'm not really feeling too well."

Cyborg smothered a laugh. "And why are you dragging Raven with you?"

Beast Boy glared. "Stop asking stupid questions."

"I only ask stupid questions of stupid people."

"Well, if you ask a stupid question you get a stupid answer."

"Exactly."

"..."

"..."

"Shud up, Vicky." Beast Boy said through gritted teeth as he and Raven left the room. Avoiding adult Raven's room (from which odd squeaking noises were emitting), they entered one of the rooms at the far end of the hall, a spare room with only the bare necessities of a bed, a desk, a chair, a dresser, and a small bathroom on the side. Gar brought Raven to the bed and pushed her to a sitting position before entering the bathroom and returning with a cool rag for her head, a glass of water, and an aspirin (which actually wouldn't work very well given Raven's half-demon physiology, but it was the thought that counted).

"Thank you," Raven mumbled, gulping down the aspirin and taking the cool rag. She lay back, pulling her legs up onto the bed with her. She wasn't entirely comfortable being so covered up, but she could deal with it. Gar stood to leave her to resting, but she called out his name and said something that surprised both of them. "Gar...stay."

"Are you sure? Cause if you want some peace and quiet, I don't really recommend keeping the team joke around."

"You're not a joke, Gar."

"Yeah, tell that to robot boy out there."

Raven smiled long enough to ease Gar's mind on how much of a toll this was taking on her, which really was only about half a quarter of a second. "I don't find your presence disturbing. I'd...like company."

He shrugged and started to pull the desk chair over. "What do you want to talk about?"

She shrugged, laying the cold compress over her eyes and stretching out. Inside, over tense muscles and bones cracked in relaxation. "Tell me a story."

Beast Boy relaxed in the chair, stretching out his long legs and slumping. "There once was a princess..."

Raven kicked him lightly in the shin.

"Okay...there once was a bad-ass superheroine who was most definitely not princess-like in any way. She had a most handsome side-kick who made everyone green with envy given his charm, and implacable attitude, not to mention his awesome body and great sense of style..."

She kicked him again.

"...and they worked together to fight evil. But over the years and many new friends, they drifted apart until they could barely stand to be in each other's presence anymore."

Raven peaked at him from under the rag. "Do you think that's what happened?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I don't know. Between you and me, I think you're my closest friend on the team."

Raven sat up, forgetting the rag which dropped to the bed. "I know that you're mine."

Beast Boy smiled, and moved off the chair to kneel beside the bed, grasping the rag as he did so. "Lay back down. We can overanalyze our future actions some other time. This is hard on you." He gently pushed her back into horizontal position and leaned over her to place the rag over her eyes. Since she couldn't see him, he took pleasure in moving closer so that he could feel her oddly cool breath on his own lips. "Sleep tight," he said gently before rising to rejoin the other Titans in the common room.

In Raven's room, where she'd pull Roy into several minutes before, it was silent. Roy went about pulling out the weapons he carried and checking their gauges and ammunition, whilst Raven tried to think of the best way to tell him their "great news". So, she started with what he already knew.

"Roy?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Don't call me babe."

"Okay, duchess."

"..."

"What would you like to talk about, Mistress Raven?"

"Remember what I told you about, just before we engaged in a physical relationship?"

"About how spanking and back-doors are bad and not allowed?"

"Before that?"

"That I have a nice ass?"

"After that."

"The demon thing?"

"Yes!" Raven said in relief. "About how demons are exceedingly fertile, and that it is unknown whether or not contraceptives would work on me and that there was a chance..."

Roy stopped cleaning his gun and turned to stare at her. "...that you could get pregnant no matter what precautions we took. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Raven nodded slowly, watching him cautiously. "I am."

Immediately jolted from his stillness, Roy swept her up in his arms, kissing and squeezing her so hard that she started to make breathless little squeaks. After minutes of that, he calmed down enough to put her down and worry. "Are you alright? Been to a doctor? Let's go to the doctor now, just to be safe. Or, should we go to a priest? Wow...I'm gonna have a quarter demon baby...will he be red? Have horns? No...two sets of eyes? WHOA! What if it's a she? Awww...a she-demon."

"Hey..."

"Oh, sorry..."

"You're not...upset?"

Roy shook his head and grinned. "No! We decided to take our chances, remember? It was worth it. Besides, we'd make great parents. Well...I'd make a great parent. You will...pale in comparison."

"That's nice."

Roy laughed. "Let's go tell everyone!"

Raven latched onto his arm. "Let's not."

He frowned and stopped pulling her to the door. "Why not?"

"Changeling is here. I have neither want nor wish to...tell anyone at the moment. Let's wait until this is over. So no one worries about it during the fight that is sure to come."

"I'll worry."

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "It's only right that you worry...Daddy."

Roy got stars in his eyes and nodded absently. "After. We'll tell them after."

Raven laughed as the stars were replaced with love and lust. Roy pulled her down into the bed with him and they rolled about playfully. Then he froze again. "Will it hurt the baby?" He asked in a whisper.

Raven smacked him in the head. "You're going to be like this the whole eleven months, aren't you?"

"Wait...eleven months!"

"Demons also have a longer pregnancy. I figure only a couple months longer than human would be about the halfway point between human and demon."

"Eleven months?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"That's a long time."

"I'll be carrying it, so I think I'm aware."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"We're going to have to tell your father about this...eventually..."

Raven just laughed. Granddaddy Trigon.


	10. Chapter Ten

Sorry this chapter took so long. I'm currently ending one of my other stories, and it's taking a bit of my time up. Still, it's over now, so regular updates again!

* * *

**Chapter Ten

* * *

**

Two days and not a single sighting of Father Time (Jr.). To make matters worse, the situation between the Teen Titans and the Titans was getting tenser. It didn't help that as time went along; the teens began to grow more anxious, not entirely liking what they were seeing of their older selves. Inside, they were all thinking, _how can we prevent this?_

It wasn't even the big things. Murder? Betrayal? Civil war amongst themselves? Not a big deal. Those were the kinda things adult superheroes dealt with all the time. The Teen Titans could handle that. They could prevent big things like that. It was the small things. The tiny things. The things that were so insidious in nature that you couldn't truly prevent it, because it was so gradual. For example...

Victor holds his fork in his fist. Completely ham-handling it. Cyborg watched his older self shovel food into his mouth, and cocked his head as he watched. He compared his own graceful clutching of the fork, held like a pen or pencil, and the barbaric handling of the tool in his older self's hand. Cyborg couldn't understand how you could so carelessly handle the deliverer of such great bounty! It was mind-boggling.

Robin really had no problems with his own older version. The man was witty, charming, debonair, though admittedly he had a bad fashion sense. Baby blue and black? Now, really, how kitschy...

Beast Boy had a big problem with Changeling. In the future, he appeared to be some kind of shameless flirt, always with a ready smile and joke. Beast Boy liked to think that he wasn't like that. His jokes actually were funny, and he only flirted with...Raven. This, now that he thought of it, was who Changeling primarily flirted with. Not older Raven, who spent much of her time in close conversation with Arsenal, but younger Raven who was looking a lot better now that her shields were slipping back into place, though she was retreating back into her cold shell that she wore so closely. Beast Boy liked to think that he was the only one who'd ever seen past that shell. Changeling liked to think that given the chance, he could convince Raven to let him peak a little, again.

Speaking of Raven...

"Azar was destroyed?" She was asking of her older self, the shock and horror that only slightly marred her features still making it clear that the idea of that shook her to the core. Older Raven took her younger self's hand and held it for comfort. Their home realm, one of the few places where she was comfortable, taken and corrupted by Trigon, and it had wounded her far more than she'd ever realized. In the face of her younger self's despair, Raven realized that she still mourned Azar deeper than she mourned anything, even the death of her mother.

"Yes. Trigon stepped into the realm, and his very presence changed the essence of it. The people tried to stop him, but their meditations had no effect. He slaughtered them."

Raven clutched at older Raven's hand, her eyes wide. "Mother too?"

She nodded. "It was not in vain, though. Using their souls, with their permission of course, we entrapped Trigon. He can never leave again. Not physically, mentally, or even astrally. He is well and good imprisoned."

Beast Boy, only half-listening as he sat beside Raven, picked up on only a bit of the conversation. "You have a mother?"

Raven glared at him. "Yes. What did you expect?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe you hatched from an egg or something. How do demons get born?"

Older Raven took time from her immense amusement at the sight of the young couple squabbling to explain. "Demons possess a human male or female and hold the body. Then they engage in relations with another human and a pregnancy occurs. The baby that is born is half-demon."

"Like me," Raven added, easing back onto the couch, her sadness momentarily forgotten. Beast Boy had always had that talent of making her forget her worries and troubles. It wasn't until this moment that she realized how she appreciated it.

"What about full demons?"

"Full demons don't actually get born on Earth. They can manifest, but they aren't actually here. It's all a projection," Arsenal interjected as he hopped over the back of the couch to land next to Raven, his arm automatically sliding around her as he did. He leaned over for a small kiss before leaning back and sprawling himself out. He seemed to take up more space on the damn couch that Cyborg did after an all-you-can-eat Buffet.

"Trigon felt pretty damn physical when we fought him not too long ago," Robin replied as he joined the group near the couches. Starfire was at his side, though she wasn't paying attention as she discussed hair care with the older, much curlier haired Koriand'r.

Arsenal laughed. "Well...it's a pretty damn good manifestation. The vibes on Earth are too good for Trigon to fully come here. At least they are now. Not that it matters anymore. But just for future reference for when y'all go back..."

"Speaking of that," Robin began, "not that it hasn't been fun, but when are we going back?"

"When Father Time appears," Nightwing replied with a smile, taking the seat next to Beast Boy and kicking Arsenal's feet off the table to replace with his own.

"How long will that take?"

Victor answered that one as he casually beat Cyborg at arm-wrestling (possible only through recent upgrades that involved neural pathways laced with artificial musculature). "Not much longer."

"How do you know that?" Starfire asked. The whole room was paying attention to the conversation now, the Teen Titans anxious to get out of the strange situation, and the Titans just anxious as usual. Changeling was aloof, not showing anything.

"He knows that his older self is set to be transferred soon to a more permanent location. He can't afford to wait longer."

Everyone nodded absently, looking around a bit lost. Only two levels, not much to do. The only one who came and went was Barry, off to visit Jinx and bring in groceries and the like. He also reported that the Justice League themselves had come down to monitor the Tower, most likely thanks to Changeling, who hadn't mentioned it so neither did they.

As they sat there, Starfire became aware of a strange light effect permeating the room. Strange glistening strange, almost Aurora Borealis in nature, began at the top of the room, the very top of that oh-so-high ceiling and began to move from wall to wall, disappearing momentarily, before appearing again, faster and faster along that cycle, and at the same time growing lower. With a smile, she pointed. "What's that?"

They all looked up. The Titans jumped to their feet and stared at it. "This is bad," Raven commented.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked, getting to his feet too, using the hand of Raven's that he'd been holding for the last couple of minutes to pull her to her feet as well.

"He's pointed it at us," Arsenal explained. "The Chronon radiation emitter he uses to time travel. He's pointed it directly at us."

"So?" Robin asked, his hand on his batarang holder, just waiting for an excuse to use it.

Arsenal nodded his head at the top of the window. "Look."

The top of the large bay windows, where the light show was currently level, was changing with each pass. At first in sync with the outside, it changed to a red sky, fire falling from it, a sight well remembered from the time when Trigon had tried to take over the world. Then, again, it changed, to a time when all the windows were broken out, well, one of those times considering how often the windows actually got broken. Again, it changed, to a time when there had been no windows. It started over, at the beginning, throwing different times in, faster and faster. As the lights, now realized to be reflections of the time line rippling, got lower, both Ravens came together and grasped hands, using their soul-self to pull all the people in the room close to them, and at the same time forming a force field around them, one strong enough to hold off the ripples. It wouldn't last, but it might just long enough for them to think of something to do.

They stood there frozen and unable to really think as the lights finally reached them, slamming against the shield with enough force to make the younger Raven stumble, only to have Changeling catch her. Beast Boy bared his teeth and growled, replacing Changeling at her back holding her up. If he could help it, he'd keep that player older self of himself away from young Raven, who was entirely too innocent and naïve to deal with the smooth sexiness that was himself.

Now, the entire Tower began to change. Broken down and decrepit (future), gleaming and empty of all furniture (before they'd even moved in), or not there at all. It was strange to be standing in the middle of the bay, or so they thought until even the island beneath them disappeared and they were standing in the middle of a large empty ocean, with not even any land in sight (the way, way, way long ago). Faster and faster the lights moved, until slowly, they started passing through time when they'd actually been on island. There was the time when Slade had broken into the Tower with Terra's help. Again, there was the time Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo had broken in. A time when there'd been an island but no Tower. A time when the Tower had been there, but was being broken in half by some massive Tidal Wave. In the flashes, past and future Titans began to appear. Terra for a second, then what appeared to be Aquagirl in another. Kid Flash appeared, then a teenage Arsenal, in his Speedy uniform. Some chick with only one eye was playing with a sword, then Wonder Girl appeared, but she appeared to be blonde. Then Kid Flash again. And again. And again.

Even as older Raven narrowed her eyes as she studied the Kid Flash that kept appearing, he stepped from those light and vibrated his way through the shield. The other stared in astonishment at the dead Titan, and only sheer force of will kept the shield going as both Ravens took a small step back from the speedster.

Wally, as a matter of course, took the sight of the group with a smile and a laugh. "Why do I get the feeling that I've missed something?"


	11. Chapter Eleven

This took a few days to get written. I've just finished one story, and started another, so I was busy setting those up (and down). Sorry for the delay.

A/N: On another note, this story is also winding to a close. While nowhere near as popular as my other story, I'm just as sad to end this one. It's my first Teen Titan (animated) one. (sigh)

* * *

**Chapter Eleven

* * *

**

Kid Flash, fastest boy in the world (and some have argued, the universe), stared at the ragtag group of heroes within the bubble of soul-self that protected them from the temporal collage outside and found himself curiously confused. When you can think faster than the speed of light, it was not the usual way of things.

"Um...hi?"

"Wally?" Kory asked, stepping forward only a step before pulling the red-nay-orange haired teen into her arms. Over her abundant cleavage (remember, this _is_ older Starfire, and she_ has_ grown up), he stared wide-eyed at the mirror versions of his friends that stood around him. Raven, older Raven, both shockingly the same looking. Robin, Nightwing, the same only in the battle-ready stances. Cyborg and...Cyborg, exactly the same looking. Exactly, which made it incredibly creepy as both of them now gave him a thumb-up and an eyebrow wiggle at his ensconced position in Kory's bosom. Beast Boy and Changeling, he finally got some height, Wally was glad to see. And, of course, Starfire and Kory. He'd like to compare the two, but truthfully, he could only fully see Starfire, though what he could see of Kory was quite nice. Quite. Nice.

"Um...that's my name," Wally began as Kory finally released him and stepped back into Nightwing's arms, her eyes tearful as she did so. "But how do you know it?"

It was elder Raven that answered that, or rather, didn't answer that. "What month is it?"

"Um...May 2005?" Wally wasn't quite sure, he sped around so damn much, he sometimes was mentally weeks ahead of everyone else. "We just defeated the Brotherhood, remember?"

"That was a year ago," Beast Boy said, quite sure on that since he'd gotten his growth spurt during that year, finally reaching five feet (and upwards to his pleasure).

"No, dude, that's right now," Wally replied.

"No, duuuude, it's not."

"Is to."

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Shut up," Robin said, and as leader, was automatically listened to. It was he who asked what the sane members of the group were thinking. "Why is he here?"

Older Raven explained. "Kid's speed comes from a dimension other than our own. It gives him the ability to do and sense things that aren't usual. Before his demise, Wally discovers that with enough built up speed and energy, and a specific frequency, he can time travel."

"Like how you brought us here with Flash's aid?" Starfire asked.

Raven smiled. "Exactly. I imagine that he sensed the rip in his own time and investigated?" She made it a question, directed at Kid.

He shrugged. "I was curious."

Raven nodded, and lowering her arms, but not her soul-self shields, she walked to where he stood and braced her hands on his shoulders. "Go home, Wally." She turned him forcefully and started to push him back to the edge of the circle, where he'd entered.

"What! Why? Can't I help?"

"You're being here is a paradox. You can cause all kinds of malfunctions in the continuum by staying here."

"What about them?" He asked, pointing to the two Titan teams.

"Well..." Raven had no answer for that. The Teen Titans paradox was one that they'd compensated for, and, indeed were planning on. Kid Flash paradox? Not one they'd intended to encounter. Ergo, she gave him no chance to object anymore.

Raven pushed Wally to the edge, and with a swift kick to the arse, out of the circle. Instantly, he disappeared into the aisles of time. He'd return to where he came from, no memory of what had happened, and if he did, all he'd remember is a dream of some sort. Accidental time traveling is not recommended.

The Titans stared at bossy Raven, and the Teen Titans were agape. "Why'd you do that?" Robin asked. "We could have warned him he'd die!"

"You'll have a chance to do that when you go back," Raven explained, returning to her place beside younger Raven. She didn't mention that when the teens went back, they probably wouldn't remember any of this. Paradoxes are fun, or so it seemed to Raven.

Finally, they focused back on the task at hand. "So, Titans, what do we do?" Arsenal asked, his hand at his gun, but knowing there was really nothing that it could do to help.

Victor thought aloud. "Well, we're stuck in an ever cycling time portal, yes? We can assume that it's encompassing the island. Father Time Jr. is doing it to...distract us, I believe."

"Why distract us? Why not strand us in the middle of time?" Beast Boy asked, rather astutely, could be added. Gar was not known for his thought-out questions and the fact that this was a question that was on the mind of his compatriots said a lot about how deep he was thinking at the moment. Cyborg wondered if Gar was getting a headache from all the use of his brain.

"Because he needs us. Or rather, me. I know where his older self is being held. To get back to his own time, Junior needs his older self."

"Why does he want to go back to his own time?" This time from Robin.

Victor smiled. "Do you want to go home?"

The teens answered in sync. "Yes."

"Why wouldn't he?"

Younger Raven turned and glared at the older Titans. "Why didn't you just help him get home and end the entire problem?"

Silence. The Titans stared at each other, then at her. Nightwing spoke. "We don't negotiate with criminals."

She spoke again. "And that's your crime. Ego. Pride. You've created all these problems for yourselves because you can't compromise or even consider changing."

She was right, and it'd taken bringing their younger selves forward from time for them to realize it. The Titans took a second to take a good hard look at them self and knew that though in this time and age they were battling totalitarianism in the form of the Justice League, that they themselves had established their own little dictatorship, even if it was only on the island. Given the chance, they'd spread a little hell of their own, all in defense from the Justice League. The same creature, different color.

Changeling, inside the circle of "trust" keeping them all safe, but somehow still separate from everyone, gave a small noise of exasperation. "How the hell are we getting out of this?"

Raven, with a small sneer for her former teammate, answered. "Easy. This is such a massive rip and opening, that it cannot sustain itself for long. Another few minutes maybe. If he'd surprised us a little more, he could have taken us, but as it was, we had too long to handle it. We'll survive it."

Starfire cocked her head to the side as she studied the whirling colors outside the large black shield. "What would have happened if we hadn't?"

Younger Raven, for once, answered this. "We'd have been forced in a small capsule of real time within the continuum. Easy pickins."

Beast Boy snorted. "You said easy pickins."

"So?"

"It's so déclassé."

"Are you implying something, Garfield?"

"You're prissy."

On the other side of the circle, Raven and Arsenal watched as the couple quietly sparred verbally, keeping their argument/flirtation to themselves. Not far from those two, Changeling watched them watch the younger couple.

"I'm not prissy."

"You so are. If you weren't so heavy into the color blue, I bet you'd wear plaid schoolgirl shirts and fitted sweaters." Beast Boy waited only a second before plodding on. "On that note, why don't you wear a plaid skirt and a fitted sweater? That'd be hot."

Raven stared at him without emotion. "You've become quite bold in the last few days."

Beast Boy leaned close, his breath on her ear. "Imagine that."

Behind them, Nightwing and Robin were almost at blows. "You're lying."

"I'm not lying."

Robin bared his teeth. "No way would I ever date Babs again."

"You did!" Nightwing gritted right back. Behind him, Starfire and Kory watched as the two boys argued.

"Who's Babs?"

Kory smiled indulgently. "Dick's childhood girlfriend. They dated for quite a while, fought crime together. Then, he met me. Then, he went back to her. Finally, he came back."

"He leaves me?" Starfire asked, her eyes wide and hurt looking.

Kory laughed and patted Starfire on the shoulder. "No, we leave him and get married to a nice Tameranian prince."

Starfire thought for a minute. "Not..."

"Oh yeah. Him."

"But I do like him. I like Robin."

"Yeah...well...when Robin is going from Boy Wonder to Man in a New Costume, he's a little testy and it pisses us off."

"So we marry another?"

"Only to piss him off." Starfire stared at her scheming older self. "It works." The girls smile together and continue to stare at their men fighting.

Outside the circle, the cycle of images slowly unwinds. As the images move slower and slower, the effect of shifting lights lifts from the floor and starts to reaffirm their safety from it. Outside, the Navy ships watch the Tower, the sky is blue, and everything is the same. The Ravens wait until all effects from the attack are gone before lowering the shield. Almost immediately Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Victor run for the restroom shouting urges to pee.

As the rest of the team watches the boys run, lanky Gar getting their first and slamming the door shut and locking it, leading to screams of unfairness by the robots, Nightwing stopped arguing long enough to comment, "I wonder what Junior did while we were distracted."

Younger Raven turned to say something, but froze instantly. Her hand came up and black sparks appeared at her fingertips, a sign she was calling up her power. Before anything came of it, a large boom sounded and she was sent flying across the room, slamming into the brick wall with a sickening thud.

The Titans looked around for the source of the attack. "What happened?" Nightwing demanded, even while the robot-boys forgot the bathroom needs, and both alien princesses took to the air. It was Starfire who answered, even as she powered up her hands and eyes.

"That boy there shot her with a strange gun!"

Kory and Nightwing looked around. "I don't see anyone."

"It's the one you look for. Junior?" Starfire responded, even as she ducked, seemingly into thin air and started to fire at a point off on the far wall. "I see him!"

"I do too, Star!" Cyborg yelled, firing off large beams of abusive light in the same direction.

Nightwing sighed as the two teens flew past him. "This is why I hate fighting people I can't see."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Sorry for the long update. Um...I was debating deleting this fic. I had such a great story in my head for this, but it's just not transitioning right. (sigh) Still, I finally decided that y'all were too invested to just come in and delete it. Plus, I was already almost done. LOL. I WAS TORN. Now, onto the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve

* * *

**

While Changeling and Beast Boy literally flew to the incapacitated Raven's side, the other Heroes of the room mobilized and waited for instructions. Starfire and Cyborg were chasing after the "invisible" boy, and Robin was trying his best to help the others see him.

"He's next to Star, getting his face punched by Cyborg."

Nightwing threw a batarang in that general direction, lodging it in the wall just inches from Cyborg's face. "Did I hit him?"

Robin eyed him suspiciously. "Am I an idiot in the future? No, you didn't."

"Why not?"

Robin shrugged, pulling a batarang from his belt and throwing it into the same space, where it proceeded to disappear. He grinned. "I don't know, but I did."

Raven studied what'd happened and sighed as it dawned on her. "Not only can we not see him, we can't affect him either."

Arsenal, gun at hand and looking like he was ready to kill, glared at her. "What do you mean?"

"He's shielding himself in the radiation, that's why we could never see him. However, it now also seems that the same radiation makes him intangible to our time. We literally can't touch him as long as he's invisible."

Roy sighed. "So what? We stand here and watch as our younger selves kick Time booty?"

Raven grinned at his lovely use of words. "Basically."

Starfire and Cyborg, out of the loop, continued to fight the boy, who looked oddly familiar. Starfire, too close to him and Cyborg to use starbolts, glared threateningly as she pulled back her fist to hit him again. Even as she did so, it dawned on her and she froze. Cyborg watched as she stopped and stopped himself.

"Oh dear X'hal."

"What is it, Star?"

"Look closer, Cy. Look at his face!"

He did so, and squinted his eyes a bit. "Oh, man. This sucks. You're a villain?"

The boy, now recognized as Kid Flash, grinned. "At the moment, but it can change."

Nightwing and Kory stared at the now frozen couple. "What's wrong?" Nightwing asked, his thoughts spinning as he triangulated what they would do if they realized just who and why Father Time was.

Starfire took a few steps back, automatically taking Robin's hand as he stepped close. "We can't fight him. He is Kid Flash."

Older Raven stepped forward. "He's not. Knock him out."

"Dude, I can't do that. He's my bud."

Nightwing glared. "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it. At your age, we were blinded by our emotions, and we let so much shit pass us by. Things we should have noticed."

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, using his boot to keep Kid Flash on the floor.

Nightwing smiled bitterly. "Kid Flash is dating Jinx in your time. In a few months, she'll return to the bad side of the equation, and she'll take him with her. Together, they become one of the worst criminal couples ever known. A year ago, a fellow Titan, Superboy tracked them down and took out Kid Flash. He was expelled from our group for it. Then, when he was on the verge of taking out more "criminals" we went in and stopped him, and in an extraordinary feat of bad luck," he emphasized bad luck, "Starfire hit him in precisely the wrong spot and he died."

"What does this have to do with Father Time?" Cyborg asked, helping Kid Flash up and at the same time, imposing a stage five security field around him. Enemies are enemies, and Raven as still unconscious.

"Father Time is an amalgam of people in our time line who died who weren't supposed to. They couldn't pass on because it wasn't their time, so they remained and took shape in Father Time. A year ago, when Kid died, they formed in his image. They weren't real though, it was only an image. So...they brought the real Kid, just after he went bad, to our time. Using him, they planned to reshape the timeline. We destroyed the shell before they could do that. Father Time Jr., also know as bad Kid Flash, remained, confused by the trip through time." Raven sighed, struggling to put the truth to words. "It's because of the ripples in the Time, created by errors. Kid Flash wasn't supposed to be evil, in the same way Jinx was never supposed to be good. Things are altering in the timeline, and we brought you here because..." Raven stopped, her hand flying to her stomach and her eyes shutting. When they opened again, they were determined. "...because we've found out that the origin of the ripples disturbing Time starts in your time. In the very day we took you from."

"What do we do with him?" Cyborg asked, holding "Father Time" by the scrap of his neck. Kid Flash pouted as he eyed the people surrounding him.

"Nothing," Raven replied. The electricity keeping the boy captive also made him visible. She threw out a piece of her soul self, piercing his psychic armor and unraveling the many parts of him. He faded from Time and suddenly Cyborg was left holding nothing. He shivered from the creepiness of it.

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg stood there, decidedly at a loss for what to do. Victor walked over and clapped his younger self on the shoulder. "Great job."

"Um, what happens now?" Starfire asked, still holding Robin's hand.

"I think we got bigger problems!" Beast Boy called from Raven's side. "She's not breathing."

The teens ran to their friends' sides, and watched as Raven lay there, crumpled by the wall, a dent where she hit, and most certainly did not breathe.

"She needs mouth to mouth," Changeling said as he laid her flat and started to dip towards her mouth.

Beast Boy hit his shoulder. "I'll do it."

"Why?"

"Why should you?"

"Um...guys..." Robin tried to intervene.

"Because I'm older and know what I'm doing."

"You just want to kiss her."

"Ha, like you don't?"

"Um...she's not breathing..."

"I don't. I have."

"You haven't, because I haven't."

"Well, I guess we're different that way!"

"You wanna fight, boy?!"

"Bring it on!"

Robin pushed the two green beings out of his way and pressed his mouth against Raven's, forcing air into her lungs. Changeling was pushed out of his way, and he started to pump her heart. He repeated the process as Changeling and Beast Boy slumped against the wall, shamed by their actions.

A few feet away, Nightwing, Kory, and Victor watched as the scenario played out. In their heads, the same thought kept repeating, "This was not part of the plan."

Another few feet away, Roy watched Raven as she clutched her stomach. "What's wrong?"

Sweat beaded on Raven's forehead and she brought her hand to his face, and showed him what was causing her so much pain. Half her hand was gone. Not blown away, not taken in any way, but faded. She could still feel it, like phantom limbs, but it wasn't there. She was fading.

Roy grabbed the part of her hand he could see and studied it. "What do we do?"

"We send them home," Raven said, hoping that it would stop the process.

"If she's really dead, how will that..."

"She's not," Raven explained, her breath coming out in gasps as she concentrated on keeping herself intact. "We've deviated, but it's fixed. When we send them back it will be to an entirely pure timeline. This will never have happened, ergo, she'll never have died."

Roy shook his head. "That makes no sense."

Raven smiled. "It never does."

"How do we get them back? Do we need Flash?"

"No," she shook her head, "I send them back just how I sent Father Time back."

Raven turned to the five Titans, Roy moving behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her up. Calling up the small kernel of her that actually still existed in this timeline, she sent her soul self out, striking at the stays placed on the Teen Titans, to keep them their. She'd placed them there herself, so she knew just where to hit.

The five Titans froze...okay, the four Titans froze, and Raven stayed just as she had been. Slowly, but not too slowly, they began to fade. Nightwing grasped Kory's arm because the sight of it made her rush forward to try to help. Victor looked somber and more his age as he watched it. He pushed a button on his arm and drew out a small microchip. On it was the disclosure of Father Time's, nee Kid Flash, grave. It was what the boy had been looking for. Proof that he wasn't supposed to exist.

The six of them stood there for a few moments. Raven was corporeal again, still held by Roy. Nightwing had Kory's hand, Victor was stoic, and Changeling was as much of an outsider as ever. For a few minutes, though, they remembered how it used to be.

Finally, Nightwing turned to Raven. "How long until the wave?" He asked, referring to the wave of distortion that would change the timeline and return it to the pure form it was intended to be.

"Minutes. Little else."

Pulling Changeling to his feet, he smiled. "We'll spend these last minutes together again."

Taking various seats around the couch in their living room, the Titans waited for it to end.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Last chapter. I hope we're ready.

I want to say that I appreciate everyone who read this and enjoyed it enough to review. It was much appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen

* * *

_2006-Titan Tower_**

Most of the people on Earth are oblivious to one of the key elements of the universe...time. To Raven, time was as tangible as the ground beneath her feet and as foreseeable as the sun at dawn. It wasn't a mystery to her, it was a puzzle. She knew what it was, what it could be, and when it would be, but she didn't know the big picture. She'd spent much of her childhood with time hovering over her, counting down to some big event, and when said event came, it surprised her. Time passed so quickly, and things change so much, yet it's so unexpected when you look around and realize.

Realization was key, Raven knew. If you were aware of something, and could note its very details down to the fly in the air, then it could be taken out of time and memorialized in your head, free to be taken out and cherished at a later time, when such things could be remembered. Much of Raven's time with the Teen Titans was kept within her in such a manner. These were the times she never wanted to forget, and the people she never wanted to lose.

With such an ideal blanketing her existence within this space and time, she often took her time with things, conversations, and objectives, not wanting to lose a single detail. The others' took her silence as isolation, and often tried to draw her out. None of them realized that it wasn't her silence she held, it was their's.

As it was, when Raven woke on this particular day, a sense of urgency cloaked her mind. She didn't spare the usual moments for a mild meditation, nor did she spare time to linger in a bath. Instead, she showered and walked to the kitchen, seeking an explanation for the instincts telling her that something was going to happen today. Something bad. As the spawn of a demon, Raven usually gave her instincts a wide-berth, but she still gave them something.

The Tower was silent, resplendent in the mayhem of belongings scattered along the halls. Five years as Teen Titans, and stuff tended to accumulate; despite Robin's decree that they keep their "shit" in their rooms. There were only so many clothes Beast Boy could hide under his bed before it started to spill out of his door.

Speaking of the changeling, Raven had just started to reach up for her tea (which as a matter of course was always on the top shelf where various flying projectiles thrown in said room wouldn't reach it); a long green arm reached past and got it down for her. Raven accepted it with a small nod of thanks, and set about brewing hot water to use. Gar took a seat at the island nearby and watched as she did so.

As the water began to boil, she spared a glance at him over her shoulder. "Am I in your way?" She asked quietly, pouring a small amount of milk into her coffee cup and pushing it over by the tea.

Gar watched her and shook his head, his longer green hair falling into his eyes as he did so. Raven felt the odd urge to brush it back, and linger her hand on his cheek; said urge so unexpected that she froze immediately. It was almost as if the urge wasn't even her own, but someone else's. Raven rarely felt the urge to touch people. As an empath, it was almost always difficult to shield, but even more so when touching. A small part of her feared what Gar felt inside him. Still, the urge was there. Raven poured steaming water over the tea bag and milk, and blamed the strange air of the day on the trouble sure to come.

Gar stood and started to rinse out the kettle she'd used, starting coffee for himself and the others. Raven turned to take the seat he'd recently vacated, surprising him by staying in the same room. For some reason, today, he found her fascinating. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed almost as if he woke up today knowing something about her he'd never known before. The paleness of her skin taunted him, reminding him of the strangeness of his own. The soft violent hues of her hair made him want to touch. He blamed it on his dream.

"I had a bad dream last night," Gar thought aloud, nonchalant in the admission. Robin and Cyborg would die before admitting to trouble doing anything, including sleeping.

Raven sipped her tea carefully, setting it down before folding her hands and studying the unhurried movements of him as he made breakfast. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"It was about you," he said immediately, hesitating briefly before leaving the kettle to boil and starting oatmeal. "It was strange."

Raven stilled the small fidget that demanded she move as he turned those forest green eyes on her. "Strange dreams must be running in the Tower. I too had a strange dream last night. All of the Titans were in it."

Beast Boy nodded, sliding the kettle of coffee to a back burned to cool and turning off the oatmeal. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry or thirsty anymore. He braced his hands on the counter and didn't look at her, fearing that his next statement would be met with derision or possibly laughter (leave it to him to finally get her to laugh when he was being serious).

"Something is going to happen."

Silence. Upstairs the floorboard creaks as Cyborg begins to move around, and the happy music of Aqua echoes down the halls, waking Starfire in it's usual happy-go-lucky pop beat. Robin had surely been up for hours.

Raven stood, the chair scraping a bit as she rounded the island. Hesitating only a moment, she laid her hand on his shoulder. "I know."

Beast Boy turned to look at her, and the close confines of the kitchen put them within inches of each other. There was an edge here, a tension that had never truly been there before, for either of them. They could both feel it, but weren't sure where it'd come from. Violet eyes met jade ones, and for the first time, the sparks that flew weren't small or ignorable. They were large and blinding, blowing any preconceived notions of friendship out the door.

Even as Raven inclined her head, her lips apart as her breath rushed from her body, Beast Boy was releasing the counter behind him and slowly reaching for her hands.

The front door slammed open and they jumped apart. From the sudden silence of the Tower, came the stomping footsteps of an angry teenager, presumably a male given that all the female members of the Titans could fly and did.

As Raven returned to her seat, picking up her tea and straining for some resemblance of serenity, Speedy walked into the kitchen, his face and temperament stormy. "I hate girls!"

"Thank you," Raven muttered as she sipped her drink, breaking that so obvious tension between her and Beast Boy as he grinned and stirred the oatmeal.

Walking farther into the room, Speedy allowed Beast Boy to sling an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Arrow-boy?"

"Cheshire broke up with me. Today. An hour ago. In front of her new boyfriend, Catboy."

Raven allowed herself a small smile. "Is that his real name?"

"Yes!" Speedy said between gritted teeth, still storming about. Beast Boy grinned and took his bowl of oatmeal to sit beside Raven, not showing how much the uninterrupted view of her leotard-clad body (and unclad legs) entranced him. He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts, and vaguely noted that he should start taking vitamins.

Raven set down her tea and watched as Speedy strutted around. "The best thing to do would be to move on. Cheshire is already an adversary of our's. It was foolish to get involved with such a person anyways." Her voice was calm as she said that matter-of-factly, and some of Speedy's anger dissipated. The old flirty grin appeared as he leaned over the counter to flick her nose with his thumb (not noticing how stiff Beast Boy went at the action). "Want to help me move on, babe?"

Beast Boy's hand moved faster than any of them could see, and he was suddenly holding Speedy's wrist, very tightly. "I suggest you move on with someone else," Gar said as he calmly ate his oatmeal one-handed.

Pulling away, Speedy pouted. "You're no fun."

Raven watched Beast Boy out of the corner of her eye as Speedy walked out, presumably to find Robin and beat out his frustration on him. Rather, to engage in mutual beating of frustration released in blood and bruises.

"Thank you."

Gar shrugged. "No problem." He finished his oatmeal, picking up the bowl to wash it, stopping only briefly to whisper in her ear. "Don't want anyone flirting with you but me."

Raven set down her tea and eyed Beast Boy. As she did so, she let herself smile, not small, but large. Her eyes crinkled in the corners, and a dimple appeared on her left cheek. Suddenly, the insistence of the day, the urge to rush about disappeared, and Raven realized for the first time just how grown up Beast Boy looked as he cleaned up his own mess. How grown up he looked, and how cute.

* * *

_2011-Titan Tower_

They sat on the round couch in silence, waiting for it to begin, or rather, to end. Raven clutched Arsenal's hand where it rested lightly on her stomach, and inside her mind she could feel the world scream as the wave of temporal energy formed over the Pacific Ocean and began to move swiftly, reshaping everything in it's path. Lives were lost and others were saved, whole buildings were constructed within an instant as the timeline righted itself, returning to Earth, nay, the Galaxy to the way it was meant to be.

She stood slowly, studying each of her friends, who in turn watched her curiously.

Nightwing and Starfire so complacent in their own relationship that they rarely noticed the other attractive superheroes who so often noticed them. They sat together now, holding hands like children, their thoughts not child-like, but their emotional attachment very much so. The first love was hard to forget, and Raven hoped that in the corrected timeline they'd still have each other.

Cyborg sat alone, his thoughts kept to himself. He was so often alone in this world, misfit in a way she herself was often misfit. His first love had abandoned him long ago, moving on to more "normal" pastures and a loving husband. Raven knew that that was the reason he didn't begrudge Sarah her choice. She'd taken a path she'd felt right, and she was happy with it. However, Cyborg had yet to find a place in the world, and someone to share that place with. It was Cyborg more than any of the others that Raven wished she could see the future for. That she could find the woman, or man, who'd make him happy. The Tin Man had a bigger heart than anyone thought him capable, and it was easily broken.

Arsenal was his same interchangeable self. Always at odds with his outsides, his serious thoughts were what had drawn her to him. With a ready smile and an ease of spirit, his inner feelings were at odds. Sure, he flirted, and sure, he kidded, but unlike some others, he knew when to stop and when to be serious. Even now, he watched her like a hawk, and Raven felt his love from where she stood near the windows, watching in the distance as a strange shimmer enveloped the horizon. It was coming.

There was only one more merry member of this band, Changeling. Raven watched in the reflective window before her as he shifted uncomfortably. He'd never been comfortable in Titan Tower, especially after Raven and Speedy had started dating, off and on until finally it was on permanently. It wasn't specifically Speedy that'd done it. It was the change in atmosphere. Suddenly, the Tower had been a bit more serious. They'd begun to take their responsibilities closer to heart, and they'd grown up, where as Beast Boy, the youngest member, had felt left behind. In the end, he'd left before he'd had a chance to mature like the rest of his friends. Still, when a situation got dire and lives were lost, even Raven missed the quip of a little boy who used them to hide his pain.

Raven refused to contemplate herself, having self-analyzed for years and given up any thought of ever understanding her own motives in life. The temporal wave, made up of massive Chronin radiation, the same used by Father Time nee Kid Flash. However, instead of creating rips in the vortex by which can be traveled, this radiation was completely reworking this time and space, changing it radically where needed and not at all where not.

Suddenly, Raven turned to look at her friends, a smile on her face as she thought of a way to distract them from the suddenly distorting wave that drew unbearably close. In her head, she could hear nothing but static as the world froze in it's place. "I'm pregnant."

The Titans gaped at her, Arsenal smiling and leaning back like a man, forgetting the huge shimmering wave only yards away. Before anyone could speak, however, the temporal distortion was upon them, and everything froze.

To some on the outside looking in, it would seem like the realignment of the timeline happened within seconds, and looked simple to accomplish. However, in truth, the correcting of a badly corrupted timeline was finite, and all depended on attention to detail. Details and small things are what makes the world. Never the big things. Never the catastrophes or the disasters. It's the people and the memories that make the world right. The distortion took it's time in fixing this mess.

When everything was set right, the distortion degenerated, leaving only a small smattering of scattered dreams to mark the once-existence of a totalitarian Justice League and an outlaw Titans. In its stead, the universe marched on, this time, to the right beat.

"What?"

Raven shook herself out of the trance, staring at her teammates as they stared at her, shock on all of their faces save one. Ignoring the vague niggling that she'd forgotten something, Raven held out her hand to her husband, smiling as he came to his feet to join her.

Robin grinned and leaned back, while Starfire beside him jumped up and down in happiness. Cyborg threw his arm around his fiancée, Sarah, and allowed himself a small grin as well.

Raven linked hands with Changeling, nee Beast Boy, and smiled at them all. "I shall repeat myself once, and only once. Gar and I are going to have a baby."

Gar smiled, and wrapped his green arm around his wife's waist, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Yeah, I'm virile."

The four that watched laughed as Raven turned mock-angry eyes at him. "I hope you're referring to being like a virus when you say that."

"Baby, we've been together for five years. I'd hope I wouldn't have to explain such a simple concept to you," Gar replied, so serious sounding, yet still maintaining the cheeky humor that made her love him.

Raven resisted the urge to throttle him. "Explain to me?"

"Sure!" Gar said with a smile. "See, I'm a man, and I'm a man's man..."

Raven interrupted him. "Well you can sleep your man's man's ass on the couch."

The Titans roared with laughter as once again Raven got the best of Garfield. It was the way things were meant to be. It was the ways things usually were.

Once again, all was right with the world.

* * *

_**Fin**_


End file.
